German police seize data after Crimenetwork marketplace shutdown

The second iteration of the German-speaking online crime marketplace Crimenetwork had over 22,000 users and more than 100 sellers before the latest shutdown. Crimenetwork was taken down in December 2024, after more than 12 years of operation, and a suspected administrator was arrested, according to the police.

The resurrected platform reportedly handled transactions in cryptocurrency and was generating more than €3.6 million in revenue, with the original having seen over $100 million in cryptocurrency moved between 2018 and 2024. A 35-year-old German citizen suspected of being the administrator was arrested in Mallorca by Spanish authorities, and €194,000 in assets directly linked to Crimenetwork were seized, along with extensive user and transaction data.

The police said the data will be analysed to gain further insight into the criminal structures behind the platform. This report was published on 11 May 2026.