“The reboot of Crimenetwork has failed, and another administrator will have to answer before a German court,” stated Carsten Meywirth, Director at the Federal Criminal Police in Germany.
BKA, Frankfurt prosecutors and Spanish police carry out cross-border arrest
German investigators say a coordinated, international effort resulted this week in the arrest of a 35‑year‑old German man suspected of administering a rebooted version of the darknet marketplace Crimenetwork. The suspect was detained at his residence in Mallorca by a special unit of the Spanish National Police under a European arrest warrant, the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) said in a press release.
The operation followed prior investigative work in late 2024, when the Public Prosecutor's Office in Frankfurt am Main, the Central Office for Combating Cybercrime (ZIT), and the BKA dismantled the original marketplace by seizing its platform and arresting one of its administrators. German authorities emphasize the new arrest was carried out “together with our national and international partners,” in the words of Carsten Meywirth.
The reboot’s rapid growth: users, vendors and revenues
According to the authorities, the new site was launched only days after the December 2024 shutdown of the previous incarnation and used a new technical infrastructure while keeping the Crimenetwork name. The rebooted platform quickly accumulated roughly 22,000 users and more than 100 vendors, and offered a similar range of illicit goods and services as the original marketplace.
Evidence gathered during the police action indicates that the new version had generated at least €3.6 million in revenue (reported as $4.2 million). Those figures come from data seized during the enforcement action and were cited by German investigators as part of their case against the arrested administrator.
Assets, data seized, and statutory charges
Police say investigators seized approximately €194,000 (reported as $228,000) in allegedly illicit assets during the action. Authorities also obtained “substantial amounts of user and transaction data” that they intend to use in further investigations, according to the BKA statement. A public banner was placed on the seized online portal to inform visitors of the action.
The arrested administrator now faces charges under Section 127 of the German Criminal Code and Sections 29a and 30a of the German Narcotics Act; the source states these provisions are potentially punishable by prison time. The BKA’s press release framed the enforcement as a clear message: “Cybercrime does not pay.”
Original Crimenetwork: scale and previous sentence
German authorities describe Crimenetwork as the largest online cybercrime marketplace in Germany. Operating since 2012, the platform reportedly amassed about 100,000 registered users and enabled the sale of illegal services, substances, and stolen data.
In March, the operator of the original Crimenetwork marketplace was sentenced to seven years and ten months in prison and ordered to forfeit more than €10 million in criminal proceeds; the source notes that the ruling is not yet final. Just days after that December 2024 disruption and the arrest of that administrator, the new version appeared on a fresh infrastructure, according to the BKA.
What this means for law enforcement, marketplace participants, and criminal administrators
- Law enforcement: National and international cooperation — the Public Prosecutor's Office in Frankfurt am Main, ZIT, the BKA and the Spanish National Police — remains central to disrupting darknet marketplaces, as demonstrated by a cross‑border arrest and the seizure of both funds and data.
- Marketplace vendors and buyers: The swift reappearance of a site using the same name and quickly attracting tens of thousands of users underscores how rapidly criminal marketplaces can reconstitute; investigators’ seizure of transaction and user records will shape follow‑on prosecutions and asset recovery.
- Criminal administrators: German authorities present the outcome as a warning that building replacement infrastructure after a takedown can still lead to arrest and significant forfeiture, citing both the €3.6 million in alleged revenue from the reboot and the prior operator’s pending forfeiture of over €10 million.
The arrest closes one chapter but leaves open others. Investigators now have transaction records and seized funds to follow; prosecutors must decide how the seized data informs charges beyond the arrested administrator. The BKA’s messaging — and the March sentence against the original operator — signal that German authorities will pursue both administrators and proceeds, but the ultimate legal outcomes will depend on prosecutions that are still ongoing.
