The online criminal marketplace, “Crimenetwork” has been deactivated. Both the Public Prosecutor’s Office Frankfurt am Main – Central Unit for Combating Internet Crime (ZIT) – and the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) announced this on Friday. In connection with the case, a 35-year-old German national was arrested in Mallorca. He is suspected of relaunching the platform using a new technical infrastructure, just days after the predecessor version was shut down in December 2024.
The suspect is accused of reactivating “Crimenetwork” which offered a wide range of illicit goods and services. These included stolen data, drugs, and forged documents. According to police reports, the platform had recently boasted over 22,000 users and more than 100 vendors. Law enforcement authorities successfully secured substantial data material, indicating a total turnover exceeding 3.6 million euros. Furthermore, assets amounting to approximately 194,000 euros were preliminarily seized.
The arrest was executed by a special unit of the Spanish National Police following a European Arrest Warrant. The man faces suspicions of operating criminal online trading platforms and dealing with narcotics in significant quantities. These extensive investigations were conducted in close cooperation with Spanish and Moldovan authorities, and with support from Eurojust. Participating German agencies included the Public Prosecutor’s Office Karlsruhe, and the police headquarters in Offenburg and Reutlingen.