German Authorities Shut Down Relaunched Crimenetwork Marketplace, Arrest Suspected Operator

German authorities have taken down a relaunched version of the criminal marketplace Crimenetwork, which allegedly generated more than €3.6 million in revenue, and arrested its suspected operator.

Crimenetwork was previously considered Germany’s largest online cybercrime marketplace. Active since 2012, the platform reportedly had more than 100,000 registered users and was used to facilitate the sale of illegal services, narcotics, and stolen data.

In late 2024, the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Frankfurt am Main, the Central Office for Combating Cybercrime (ZIT), and Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) dismantled the original operation. Authorities seized the platform and arrested one of its administrators.

However, only days after that takedown, a new version of Crimenetwork appeared on separate infrastructure, allegedly operated by a new administrator.

Earlier this week, Spanish National Police arrested a 35-year-old German man at his residence in Mallorca, Spain, under a European arrest warrant. Authorities suspect the man administered the relaunched Crimenetwork platform.

According to the BKA, the suspect is accused of building and managing an entirely new technical infrastructure just days after the original Crimenetwork platform was shut down and its former administrator was arrested in December 2024. The new marketplace allegedly continued operating under the same Crimenetwork name.

The relaunched platform reportedly offered a similar range of illegal goods and services and quickly grew to approximately 22,000 users and more than 100 vendors.

Evidence collected during the law enforcement operation suggests the new Crimenetwork generated at least €3.6 million, or roughly $4.2 million, in revenue. Authorities also seized approximately €194,000, or about $228,000, in suspected illicit assets.

Investigators also obtained significant user and transaction data, which is expected to support further criminal investigations.

“The reboot of Crimenetwork has failed, and another administrator will have to answer before a German court,” said Carsten Meywirth, Director at Germany’s Federal Criminal Police.

“Together with our national and international partners, we consistently enforce the law even in the darknet. Cybercrime does not pay.”

Following the seizure, authorities placed a law enforcement banner on the Crimenetwork portal informing visitors that the site had been taken down.

The arrested suspect now faces charges under Section 127 of the German Criminal Code and Sections 29a and 30a of the German Narcotics Act, both of which carry potential prison sentences.

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.