Law enforcement agencies across Europe have successfully shut down Archetyp Market, the longest-operating dark web drug marketplace, following an extensive operation involving six countries, with support from Europol and Eurojust.
From June 11 to June 13, coordinated actions targeted the platform’s administrator, moderators, key vendors, and its technical infrastructure in Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, and Sweden. Approximately 300 officers participated in these enforcement actions to secure crucial evidence.
For over five years, Archetyp Market facilitated drug sales to more than 600,000 users worldwide, with total transaction volume exceeding €250 million. Featuring over 17,000 listings, it was among the select darknet markets allowing the sale of fentanyl and other highly potent synthetic opioids, intensifying the threat these substances pose across Europe and beyond.
The operation resulted in the takedown of the platform’s infrastructure in the Netherlands and the arrest of its 30-year-old German administrator in Barcelona, Spain. In addition, actions were executed in Germany and Sweden against one moderator and six of the marketplace’s top vendors, leading to the seizure of assets valued at €7.8 million.
This enforcement effort, spearheaded by German authorities, signifies the dismantling of a criminal service that facilitated the anonymous trading of illicit drugs in substantial quantities, including cocaine, MDMA, amphetamines, and synthetic opioids. The prominence of Archetyp Market, alongside now-defunct darknet sites like Dream Market and Silk Road, underscores its significant role in 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. 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,” stated Jean-Philippe Lecouffe, Europol’s Deputy Executive Director of Operations.