German authorities have shut down a relaunched version of the criminal marketplace Crimenetwork and arrested the man suspected of running it.
Investigators say the new platform had already generated more than €3.6 million after coming back online shortly after the original site was taken down.
Crimenetwork was considered the largest online cybercrime marketplace in Germany. It had been active since 2012 and had around 100,000 registered users. The platform was used for selling illegal services, drugs, stolen data, and other criminal goods.
In late 2024, the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Frankfurt am Main, the Central Office for Combating Cybercrime, and Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office dismantled the original Crimenetwork operation. Authorities seized the platform and arrested one of its administrators.
But the shutdown did not keep the marketplace offline for long. Just a few days later, a new version of Crimenetwork appeared on fresh infrastructure, this time managed by a new operator.
Earlier this week, a 35-year-old German man suspected of running the relaunched platform was arrested at his home in Mallorca, Spain. The arrest was carried out by a special unit of the Spanish National Police under a European arrest warrant.
Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office said the suspect is accused of building and administering a completely new technical setup only days after the previous version of Crimenetwork was shut down in December 2024. Authorities said the new site used the same Crimenetwork name and offered a similar range of illegal goods and services.
The rebooted marketplace quickly attracted around 22,000 users and more than 100 vendors. According to evidence collected during the police operation, the new version had generated at least €3.6 million, or about $4.2 million, in revenue.
Police also seized around €194,000, or about $228,000, in suspected illegal assets. Investigators also obtained large amounts of user and transaction data, which could help with further investigations.
Carsten Meywirth, Director at Germany’s Federal Criminal Police, said the relaunch of Crimenetwork had failed and that another administrator would now have to face a German court. He said authorities would continue working with national and international partners to enforce the law, including on the darknet.
After the takedown, authorities placed a seizure banner on the online portal to inform visitors that the site had been seized.
The arrested administrator now faces charges under Section 127 of the German Criminal Code and Sections 29a and 30a of the German Narcotics Act. Both could lead to prison sentences.
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In March, the operator of the original Crimenetwork marketplace was sentenced to seven years and 10 months in prison and ordered to forfeit more than €10 million in criminal proceeds. However, the ruling is not yet final.
