In a breakthrough against cybercrime, the General Prosecutor’s Office in Frankfurt am Main and the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) have successfully arrested a key administrator of the notorious dark web marketplace “Crimenetwork.”
The platform, known as the largest German-language online marketplace for illegal trade, has been active for over a decade.
Authorities have seized assets worth approximately one million euros in cryptocurrency and shut down the platform’s technical infrastructure.
Arrest and Charges
The arrested individual, a 29-year-old man, is accused of operating as the technical administrator, or “Techmin,” of Crimenetwork for several years.
He faces charges related to the operation of criminal trading platforms on the internet under Paragraph 127 of the German Penal Code.
Additionally, he is suspected of involvement in narcotics trafficking in significant quantities, as outlined in Sections 29a and 30a of the Narcotics Act.
Following his arrest on Monday, the accused was brought before a magistrate and is currently in pre-trial detention.
Crimenetwork’s Operations
Crime networks functioned as a marketplace for illicit goods and services, including stolen data, drugs, and forged documents.
Established in 2012, the platform became a central hub for the German-speaking underground economy.
At its peak, Crimenetwork boasted over 100,000 users and 100 sellers.
Transactions on the platform were predominantly conducted using cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC) and Monero (XMR).
From 2018 to 2024, the platform facilitated transactions amounting to at least 1,000 BTC (currently valued at around 90 million euros) and over 20,000 XMR (around 3 million euros).
The platform operators took commissions ranging from one to five percent of each sale, alongside monthly fees for sellers.
International Cooperation and Investigation
The extensive investigation was conducted by the BKA and the Central Office for Combating Cybercrime (ZIT), with collaboration from international law enforcement agencies, notably the Zeeland-West Brabant Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Politie Zeeland-West Brabant in the Netherlands.
These efforts led to the capture of significant user and transaction data, providing crucial insights into the criminal networks behind Crimenetwork.
This data is expected to play a critical role in further unraveling the platform’s operations and potentially leading to more arrests.
The dismantling of the Crime network marks a significant victory in the fight against cybercrime, highlighting the importance of international cooperation in tackling online criminal activities.
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