Law enforcement agencies in Germany and Spain have dismantled a relaunched version of the Crimenetwork dark web marketplace, arresting its operator at his home in Mallorca. Spanish investigators detained the 35-year-old German citizen last week following coordination with Frankfurt's Central Office for Combating Internet Crime and Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA). The suspect allegedly rebuilt the entire online infrastructure within days of the original platform's December 2024 shutdown.
The original Crimenetwork had operated since 2012, accumulating over 100,000 users and more than 100 sellers primarily from German-speaking countries before authorities closed it down and arrested its administrator. That administrator received a sentence of seven years and 10 months in prison in March, with courts ordering forfeiture of over €10 million. Between 2018 and 2024, the original site facilitated sales worth at least 1,000 Bitcoin (approximately $96.9 million) and over 20,000 Monero (approximately $4 million).
The relaunched marketplace quickly rebuilt its criminal ecosystem, attracting 22,000 users and more than 100 vendors who traded drugs, stolen data, and forged documents. The platform operated on a commission-based model, with the administrator taking a percentage of each transaction while vendors paid monthly fees for advertising and sales licenses. According to the BKA, the new operation generated revenue exceeding €3.6 million ($4.24 million) in its brief existence.
During the takedown operation, police seized €194,000 ($228,400) in assets connected to the marketplace. Investigators also obtained user and transaction data that they plan to analyze for intelligence that could lead to additional arrests. Most customers were located in German-speaking countries, continuing the pattern established by the original platform.
The operation involved collaboration between German authorities, Spanish police, and Moldova's National Investigation Inspectorate Center for Combating Cybercrimes. BKA Director Carsten Meywirth stated that the agency would continue enforcing applicable law in the dark web alongside national and international partners. Organizations operating dark web marketplaces should review their security practices and assume that law enforcement agencies maintain persistent surveillance of these platforms, with the capability to quickly identify and apprehend operators even after infrastructure changes.
Source: https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/police-shut-crimenetwork-may-2025/