The digital trail led the operatives directly to the doors of customers.
The new version of the major criminal site Crimenetwork did not last long afloat. After the closure of the previous forum at the end of 2024, the project was almost immediately brought back to life on another infrastructure, but law enforcement officers again went to the administrator and stopped the work of the resource.
The German authorities announced the closure of the overlapping version of Crimenetwork, which was called the largest online marketplace of cybercriminals in the country. The site has been working since 2012 and collected about 100 thousand registered users. Through it, illegal services, prohibited substances and stolen data were sold.
The first operation against Crimenetwork was carried out in December 2024. The Frankfurt-on-Maine Prosecutor’s Office, the Central Office for Combating Cybercrime ZIT and the Federal Office of the German Criminal Police BKA then seized the site and detained one of the administrators.
A few days after the closure, a new version of the Crime work appeared. According to BKA, another operator was responsible for the launch, which quickly assembled a new technical infrastructure and retained the former name of the project.
This week, the suspect was arrested in Mallorca. The Spanish National Police conducted an operation on a European arrest warrant. The detainee was a 35-year-old German citizen, who is considered the administrator of the re-launched darknet site.
The new version of Crimenetwork offered a similar set of illegal goods and services. In a short time, about 22 thousand users registered on the resource, and the number of sellers exceeded 100. The investigation believes that the site managed to bring the creators at least 3.6 million euros.
During the recent operation, law enforcement officers seized assets of about 194 thousand euros, which are associated with criminal activities. The investigation also received a large set of data about users and transactions. This information about the stolen data can help in new cases against the site participants.
The head of the BKA division, Carsten Miavit, said that the restart of the Crimenetwork failed, and another administrator will have to answer to the German court. The detainee is charged with violations of the German criminal code and the law on narcotic drugs, which may lead to a prison term.
In March of this year, the operator of the original version of Crimenetwork has already received 7 years and 10 months in prison. The court also decided to confiscate more than 10 million euros of criminal proceeds, but the sentence has not yet entered into force.
The new version of the major criminal site Crimenetwork did not last long afloat. After the closure of the previous forum at the end of 2024, the project was almost immediately brought back to life on another infrastructure, but law enforcement officers again went to the administrator and stopped the work of the resource.
The German authorities announced the closure of the overlapping version of Crimenetwork, which was called the largest online marketplace of cybercriminals in the country. The site has been working since 2012 and collected about 100 thousand registered users. Through it, illegal services, prohibited substances and stolen data were sold.
The first operation against Crimenetwork was carried out in December 2024. The Frankfurt-on-Maine Prosecutor’s Office, the Central Office for Combating Cybercrime ZIT and the Federal Office of the German Criminal Police BKA then seized the site and detained one of the administrators.
A few days after the closure, a new version of the Crime work appeared. According to BKA, another operator was responsible for the launch, which quickly assembled a new technical infrastructure and retained the former name of the project.
This week, the suspect was arrested in Mallorca. The Spanish National Police conducted an operation on a European arrest warrant. The detainee was a 35-year-old German citizen, who is considered the administrator of the re-launched darknet site.
The new version of Crimenetwork offered a similar set of illegal goods and services. In a short time, about 22 thousand users registered on the resource, and the number of sellers exceeded 100. The investigation believes that the site managed to bring the creators at least 3.6 million euros.
During the recent operation, law enforcement officers seized assets of about 194 thousand euros, which are associated with criminal activities. The investigation also received a large set of data about users and transactions. This information about the stolen data can help in new cases against the site participants.
The head of the BKA division, Carsten Miavit, said that the restart of the Crimenetwork failed, and another administrator will have to answer to the German court. The detainee is charged with violations of the German criminal code and the law on narcotic drugs, which may lead to a prison term.
In March of this year, the operator of the original version of Crimenetwork has already received 7 years and 10 months in prison. The court also decided to confiscate more than 10 million euros of criminal proceeds, but the sentence has not yet entered into force.
