European law enforcement authorities have shut down the world’s longest standing dark web drug market, Europol has announced. ‘Archetyp Market’, which had more than 600,000 global users, was one of the few darknet market places to allow the sale of fentanyl and other potent synthetic opioids, ‘contributing to the growing threat posed by these substances in Europe and beyond’, says Europol.
The site, which had been operating for more than five years, had over 17,000 listings and a transaction volume of ‘at least’ EUR 250m. The police operation involved 300 officers across six countries and saw coordinated raids last week in Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain and Sweden.
Police took the platform’s infrastructure offline and arrested its administrator, a 30-year-old German national. Measures were also taken against six of the platform’s biggest vendors, with almost EUR 8m of assets seized, the authorities state.
The action was the result of ‘years of intensive investigative work’ to trace financial flows, analyse digital forensic evidence and map the platform’s technical architecture. Archetyp Market’s longevity, scale and reputation in the criminal community put it in the same category as famous dark web markets like Silk Road, says Europol, which was first shut down in 2013.
‘With this takedown, law enforcement has taken out one of the dark web’s longest-running drug markets, cutting off a major supply line for some of the world’s most dangerous substances,’ said Europol’s deputy executive director of operations, Jean-Philippe Lecouffe. ‘By dismantling its infrastructure and arresting its key players, we are sending a clear message: there is no safe haven for those who profit from harm.’