Police Take Servers of Online Marketplace Archetyp Market Offline
Police have taken down the servers of the online marketplace Archetyp Market, which had been operating on the dark web for several years. A 30-year-old German man, believed to be the administrator, was arrested in Barcelona, authorities confirmed.
According to Europol, Archetyp Market had been active for five years and was used for the trade of various drugs. The marketplace reportedly had more than 600,000 users and facilitated at least 250 million euros in transactions.
The takedown was part of a large-scale international police operation that took place last week, involving around 300 officers. The operation aimed to take the technical infrastructure offline, secure digital and physical evidence, and take measures against suspects involved in the marketplace’s activities.
In addition to the suspected administrator, the operation also targeted a moderator and six major suppliers connected to the platform. Authorities revealed that the marketplace's servers were located in the Netherlands, where key infrastructure was seized. Law enforcement agencies also confiscated 7.8 million euros in assets during the operation.
The joint effort included the Dutch police, as well as authorities from the United States, Germany, Romania, Spain, and Sweden, demonstrating the wide-reaching cooperation necessary to dismantle global cybercriminal networks.
