- The criminal drug market “Archetyp” operating in the Darknet has now been closed by an international police campaign after months of investigation.
- There were 17,000 sales offers, 612,000 customer accounts and more than 3,200 traders – a parallel universe of illegal drug trade – paid with Monero.
Law enforcement agencies from several countries have smashed the Darknet drug market archetype. It was in operation for almost five years and was used for drug transactions worth over 250 million euros. The alleged chief of the criminal organization was a 30-year-old German who was arrested in Barcelona on June 11th ..
The investigation of German, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish and Romanian authorities led to the large -scale operation, which at the same time included numerous raids and house searches in several places. The Frankfurt public prosecutor and the German Federal Criminal Police Office coordinated the operation, which was supported by the Spanish National Police and its Dutch, Swedish and Romanian colleagues.
As a payment, the archetype market only accepted Monero (XMR), a privacy coin that in criminals because of its efficient DAten protection is popular. Almost all illegal drugs were sold in particular HeroiN, cocaine, fentanyl, amphetamines, but also cannabis.
7.8 million euros secured
In raids with 300 police officers in houses in Spain, Romania, Germany and Sweden, assets were confiscated from the equivalent of 7.8 million euros, as well as dozens of mobile phones, four computers and 34 data storage media as crime tools. At the same time, the police identified the server infrastructure of the market in a data center in the Netherlands and set them silent.
In addition to the arrest of the main suspect, the police carried out 20 other house searches in North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse, Lower Saxony and Baden-Württemberg. Seven people were arrested in Sweden and the police found large amounts of electronics drugs.
In total, the authorities confiscated 47 smartphones, 45 PCs in mass illegal substances – presumably raw material for certain drugs. It is expected that the data available on the computers and telephones will lead to further arrests internationally.
Global Monero drug market to date
The authorities hold the Archetype–Market for the largest monero-based drug platform in the Darknet. The shutdown is the result of an investigation strategy in which the law enforcement authorities not only target the markets, but also the digital infrastructure and payment methods that support them. The main suspect will probably be charged in Germany and must expect a long -term prison sentence.
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