Administrator of the largest dark web market Archetyp with 600,000 users arrested in Spain
As a result of an international special operation, law enforcement dismantled the Archetyp dark web platform and arrested its creator, who was involved in drug sales worth over 250 million euros.
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An international operation carried out from 11 to 13 June, coordinated by Eurojust and Europol, led to the takedown of one of the largest dark web drug markets — Archetyp.
The platform had been operating for over five years and hosted around 17,000 active listings, 3,200 vendors and more than 600,000 registered users.
The total volume of illegal trade is estimated at no less than 250 million euros.
The main suspect is a German national residing in Spain, identified as the creator and current administrator of Archetyp.
He was arrested in Spain during coordinated searches and arrests conducted simultaneously in five countries.
A total of eight people were detained, and assets worth 7.8 million euros were seized.
Particularly concerning was the sale of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, which were allowed on the platform.
About 300 officers from Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Romania took part in the operation. U.S. agencies provided additional support.
The investigation included tracking financial flows, analyzing digital evidence, and locating servers and site administrators.
Earlier it was reported that Spanish law enforcement in Málaga uncovered a group involved in stealing luxury cars, altering their appearance and using forged documents to legalize and resell them as imported vehicles.