On April 28, the Interior Ministry, working with the FBI, carried out a raid in the village of Golema Rečica near Tetovo and arrested two locals - aged 20 and 23. The charge: administering an illegal online marketplace called "OLVX," active since July 2023 across multiple internet domains.

The platform ran a detailed database of compromised personal data - used to register both buyers and sellers. Total turnover exceeded $500,000. The system had over 2,600 users and more than 1,500 sellers registered. Desktop computers, laptops and mobile phones were seized for forensic analysis.

The two suspects were caught in the act and brought in immediately. The Interior Ministry said the investigation continues, with the goal of identifying everyone else involved and gathering additional evidence. The FBI gave the tip - without it, the operation wouldn't have started.

Macedonia has long been a known destination for cybercrime in the region. The irony is that it wasn't local institutions but a US federal agency that found the operation. Whether the Interior Ministry was tracking these domains - or learned about them at the same time we did - is a question the official statement leaves unanswered.