- Europol is taking Arketyp Market after five years of investigation
- A person was arrested, and “measures” taken against others
- Millions of different assets were seized
A massive international law enforcement operation has seen one of the long -standing dark web market sites finally taken offline.
Europol said a large-scale operation saw it shutting down the Archetyp market, described as a “pharmaceutical market” that, among other things, enabled the sale of Fentanyl, one of the most dangerous synthetic opioids out there.
The Archetype market operated for more than five years, numbered more than 600,000 users and collects a total transaction volume of more than $ 280 million. When it was dismantled, it had more than 17,000 lists, Europol claims.
Goodbye Archetyp Market
The infrastructure was found in the Netherlands and was then run.
A 30-year-old German citizen was found in Barcelona, Spain and arrested. “Measures were taken” against an alleged moderator, and six people described as “the highest suppliers of the market”.
The Agency did not detail what these “measures” were, but added that it seized $ 9 million in assets.
“With this dismantling, law enforcement has taken out one of the dark web’s longest-moving drug markets and cut off a larger supply line for some of the world’s most dangerous substances,” commented Europol’s deputy for operations director Jean-Philippe Lecouffe.
“By dismantling its infrastructure and arresting its key players, we send a clear message: There is no safe haven for those who benefit from injury.”
Europol said the action was the result of “years of intensive investigative work”, in which detectives mapped the technical architecture of the platform and identified the individuals behind it. They followed the money track and analyzed digital forensic evidence, enabling them to determine key players and important locations.
The operation was performed between 11 and 13 June in five European countries: Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Sweden.
In addition to national police forces and Europol, other agencies were also involved: Eurojust and US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) and Department of Justice (USDOJ).
