The Düsseldorf Police in Germany have seized Crimemarket, a massive German-speaking illicit trading platform with over 180,000 users, arresting six people, including one of its operators.
Crimemarket was the largest cybercrime market in the country and a hub for trading illegal drugs, narcotics, and cybercrime services, while it also hosted tutorials/guides for conducting various crimes.
This law enforcement action resulted from years of investigations and numerous searches that produced evidence leading to the identification of the platform’s operators and many users.
In a concerted campaign, investigators across Germany and abroad took action against the largest German-speaking criminal trading platform on the Internet.
As part of the operation, 102 search warrants were executed throughout the country simultaneously during the evening of February 29th, 2024.
According to the press release, the focus was primarily in North Rhine-Westphalia, where three people were arrested, including a 23-year-old man considered the main suspect. An additional three people were arrested in other federal states.
The police seized numerous pieces of evidence, especially cell phones, IT devices and data carriers. In 21 cases, officers in North Rhine-Westphalia seized narcotics, including 1 kilogram of marijuana and various ecstasy tablets. A total of almost 600,000 euros in cash and movable assets were seized.
A total of three more people were arrested in police measures in other federal states, which were initiated by the police there.
The German police say that the operation is targeting not only the operators of the Crimemarket platform but also its users, and the investigation is ongoing.
According to user reports, the cybercrime market started to have accessibility issues earlier this week, with many reporting an inability to log in though the site remained online.
The notice mentions that the police “monitored this platform and its content over a long period of time as part of a Europe-wide coordinated operation and confiscated the data.”
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