Archetyp Market, one of the longest-running and most significant drug marketplaces on the dark web, was dismantled in a major international law enforcement operation this week. The platform had operated for over five years, facilitating the sale of illegal drugs—including fentanyl and other synthetic opioids—by thousands of vendors to hundreds of thousands of users worldwide.
The coordinated takedown occurred between June 11 and 13, 2025. Authorities from Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Romania, and Sweden, with support from the United States, were involved in the operation. The operation was led by Europol and Eurojust, who organized intelligence sharing, digital evidence analysis, and real-time coordination across jurisdictions.
The 30-year-old German administrator of Archetyp Market was arrested in Spain, alongside seven other individuals, including a moderator and several of the platform’s largest vendors. Law enforcement seized the market’s infrastructure, 47 smartphones, 45 computers, narcotics, and assets worth €7.8 million (approximately $9 million).
Archetyp hosted around 17,000 active listings, over 3,200 vendors, and more than 600,000 users, with total transactions exceeding €250 million (about $289 million), primarily using the privacy-focused cryptocurrency Monero. The takedown is considered a significant blow to the online drug trade, especially since Archetyp was one of the few markets that permitted the sale of extremely potent synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
