Law enforcement operation shut down dark web drug marketplace Archetyp Market

Europol shut down Archetyp Market, a major dark web drug marketplace, in a global operation with arrests and takedowns.

An international law enforcement operation led by Europol dismantled Archetyp Market, the most enduring dark web marketplace. The marketplace enabled the anonymous trade of illicit drugs, including cocaine, MDMA, amphetamines, and synthetic opioids.

Between June 11 and 13, 300 officers across six countries targeted the long-running dark web market, its admins, vendors, and infrastructure in a major coordinated crackdown.

The law enforcement operation took the marketplace’s infrastructure offline in the Netherlands and led to the arrest of a 30-year-old German national, identified as the administrator. He was apprehended in Barcelona, Spain. German and Swedish authorities also arrested one moderator and six of the marketplace’s top vendors, seizing assets worth €7.8 million.

“Archetyp Market operated as a drug marketplace for over five years, amassing more than 600 000 users worldwide with a total transaction volume of at least EUR 250 million.” reads the press release published by Europol. “With over 17 000 listings, it is one of the few darknet markets that allowed the sale of fentanyl and other highly potent synthetic opioids, contributing to the growing threat posed by these substances in Europe and beyond.”

The takedown followed years of investigation into the platform’s infrastructure and operators. Europol and Eurojust played key roles in coordinating efforts and sharing intelligence, leading to a major blow against one of the most active dark web drug markets.

The platform’s scale and reputation ranked it alongside defunct darknet markets like Dream Market and Silk Road, known for enabling online drug trafficking.

“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.” Europol’s Deputy Executive Director of Operations Jean-Philippe Lecouffe commented. “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.”

The homepage of the dark web marketplace displays a seizure banner, law enforcement also published a video to warn the cybercrime ecosystem and advertise the success of the operation, code named deepsentinel.com

Follow me on Twitter: @securityaffairs and Facebook and Mastodon

Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, Archetyp Market)