European and US law enforcement agencies have dismantled a major dark web drug marketplace known as Archetyp Market, according to a statement released by Europol on Monday, Reuters reports.
The operation involved coordinated efforts across several countries and led to the arrest of the alleged administrator.
Police carried out enforcement actions last week in Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, and Sweden. Authorities confirmed that the platform’s infrastructure, which was hosted in the Netherlands, has been taken offline. A 30-year-old German national believed to be running the platform was arrested in Barcelona, Spain.
The joint operation was supported by US agencies, reflecting growing transatlantic cooperation in targeting online marketplaces associated with illegal drug sales.
According to Europol, Archetyp Market was one of the few darknet platforms that permitted the sale of fentanyl and other powerful synthetic opioids—substances linked to widespread public health concerns due to their potency and risk of overdose.
“With this takedown, law enforcement has taken out one of the dark web’s longest-running drug markets, cutting off a major supply line for some of the world’s most dangerous substances,” said Jean-Philippe Lecouffe, deputy executive director of operations at Europol.
Lecouffe added that the arrest and disruption of Archetyp Market’s infrastructure serve as a message to those profiting from illicit drug trade:
“There is no safe haven for those who profit from harm.”
