Police in Düsseldorf, Germany, have seized Crimemarket, the largest German-speaking online, arresting six people, including one of operators .
See also: Authorities shut down dark web marketplace Kingdom Market
Crimemarket operated as a hub for the exchange of illegal drugs and cybercriminal services, while also hosting guides/advice on how to commit various crimes.
This action came from long investigations and numerous searches that produced evidence leading to the identification of those responsible for the platform and many users.
As part of the operation, 102 search warrants were executed across the country simultaneously on the afternoon of February 29, 2024.
The press release states that authorities focused their investigations mainly in North Rhine-Westphalia, where three people were arrested, including a 23-year-old man believed to be the main operator of the Crimemarket cybercrime marketplace. Three other people were arrested in other federal states.
“The police seized numerous pieces of evidence, mobile phones, IT devices and data media. In 21 cases, officers in North Rhine-Westphalia seized drugs, including a kilo of marijuana and various tablets. In total, almost 600,000 euros in cash and movable assets were seized.“
German police say the operation targets not only the operators of the Crimemarket platform but also users , and the investigation is ongoing.
See also: The secrets of the dark web: What does the darkest part of the internet hide?
The end of the cybercrime market Crimemarket
According to user reports, cybercrime marketplace Crimemarket began experiencing accessibility issues earlier this week, with many reporting an inability to connect, although the website remained online.
Rumors emerged that the outage was due to the attack on the ChipMixer bust, which was using the platform as a service provider for money laundering.
Some have argued that investigations into ChipMixer's infrastructure may have exposed the administrator of Crimemarket, named "Evolution".
With today's police announcement, it becomes clear that the website's accessibility issues were indeed caused by law enforcement authorities and were not related to a technical issue.
See also: Google: Offers dark web report to Gmail users in the US
The website's homepage remains available for now, although attempting to visit the domain displays a seizure notice.
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Source: bleepingcomputer
