A Europe-wide law enforcement operation has shut down Archetyp Market, the longest-running drug marketplace on the dark web. “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. In parallel, measures were taken in Germany and Sweden against one moderator and six of the marketplace’s highest vendors, and assets worth €7.8 million seized. Archetyp Market is a relatively new darknet marketplace that has gained traction among users seeking a secure and anonymous platform to buy and sell various goods and services. The Archetyp dark web market had over 600,000 users, a total transaction volume of at least $287 million and over 17,000 listings, mainly offering drugs for sale. This article delves into the workings of Archetyp Market, exploring its unique features, operational mechanisms, and its place in the broader context of darknet marketplaces.
Deadpool / Vendor Stores
- Authorities took offline the marketplace’s infrastructure in the Netherlands and seized assets totaling €7.8 million.
- This massive crackdown resulted in the seizure of 47 smartphones, 45 computers, narcotics, and assets worth €7.8 million, cutting off one of the darknet’s major drug supply lines.
- During the same operation, police officers in Europe, South America, Asia, and the United States also seized more than 2 tonnes of drugs (including amphetamines, cocaine, ketamine, opioids, and cannabis), over €184 million ($207 million) in cash and cryptocurrency, and over 180 firearms.
- By taking Archetyp offline, authorities have dealt a severe blow to drug traffickers in Europe.
- During the same period, the number of newly launched darknet marketplaces declined 42% year over year — indicating that while the ecosystem is consolidating, remaining actors may be becoming more operationally advanced.
- The Agency organised multiple coordination meetings, which enabled authorities to exchange critical information for the investigation.
Combined with encrypted access via the TOR network, the darknet enables nearly invisible marketplaces for drugs, weapons, data, and much more. In Operation RapTor, which resulted in the largest darknet market takedown to date, law enforcement leveraged blockchain intelligence to trace cryptocurrency transactions, identify key vendor wallets, and link crypto flows to fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine distribution networks operating across darknet platforms. Archetyp had more than 17,000 listings at the time of its takedown from around 3,200 registered vendors, and was one of the few marketplaces of its kind that allowed the sale of fentanyl. Users benefit from archetyp market darknet's robust security architecture that includes mandatory PGP encryption for all communications. Carefully vetted vendors within this archetyp marketplace darknet environment provide diverse product offerings spanning digital services, privacy tools, and specialized equipment. Europol compared the platform’s endurance, scale and reputation to other notorious and now-defunct drug marketplaces such as Dream Market and Silk Road.
Europol’s Response And Criminal Impact
Furthermore, the operation highlights the evolving tactics law enforcement employs to infiltrate and dismantle these encrypted networks. Monero’s privacy features make tracing transactions notoriously difficult, adding complexity to investigations. Archetyp’s use of Monero cryptocurrency highlights the challenges authorities face in tracking financial flows on the darknet. The dismantling of Archetyp Market marks a significant milestone in the ongoing battle against darknet drug trafficking. This massive crackdown resulted in the seizure of 47 smartphones, 45 computers, narcotics, and assets worth €7.8 million, cutting off one of the darknet’s major drug supply lines.
06-16 Archetyp Market Has Been Seized
As discussed earlier regarding Archetyp’s UI/UX, Archetyp has 15 distinct categories and approximately 11,499 listings. Deadpool is a game of prediction which involves guessing when a market will die by either Bust, Exit Scam or Retiring Peacefully. It contains the Darknet Market Buyers Bible which is recommended to follow if you do happen to make a purchase on any Darknet market. If you go by listings, Incognito Market is #1 in that regard. If you are going by amount of vendors, Archetyp is slightly ahead of Incognito Market at #1.
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In June 2025, an international week of action led to the disruption of one of the longest-running dark web marketplaces for drugs. Research by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of New South Wales found that Archetyp was the largest of the 11 darknet markets monitored in May 2024 by number of listings, with an average of 8,607. Before these dark web marketplaces were shutdown, they sold a range of illegal products, from drugs to firearms. Many such marketplaces also host services that target everyday internet users, including malware-for-hire, stolen credentials, spyware kits, and identity data dumps.
About Archetyp Links
The takedown was led by German authorities, with Europol and Eurojust facilitating intelligence sharing, operational coordination, and legal cooperation across borders. Payments on the platform were made exclusively with Monero, a privacy-enhanced cryptocurrency the architecture of which makes tracing blockchain transactions much more of a pain for authorities. The scale of its operation puts it on a similar level to the dark web's previous marketplace monopolizers such as Dream and Silk Road. The marketplace had more than 600,000 users with a total transaction volume of at least €250 million ($289 million). Integrated security features within the archetyp darknet official system actively prevent fraudulent access attempts.
The enforcement action took place between 11 and 13 June, with police forces in Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, and Sweden executing a series of targeted operations. The creator of archetyp has posted on with his PGP signature. Our affiliate relationships help us maintain an open-access platform, but they do not influence our editorial decisions. “But the resilience and evolution of these networks underscore the need for continued cross-border collaboration, technical innovation, and real-time monitoring to stay ahead of the next generation of darknet threats.” It was also one of the few dark web markets that allowed the sale of fentanyl and synthetic opioids.
What Awaits The Users? Buyers In The Crosshairs!
In 2022, it ranked as the fourth largest Bitcoin-supporting Western DNM with 10% of market share, rising to 17% in 2023. Since its inception, Abacus Market has gradually increased its market share in the Western DNM ecosystem. Unlike competitors, such as Archetyp, DrugHub, ASAP Market, and Incognito Market, Abacus operated as a central deposit wallet, multisignature DNM that supported both Bitcoin and Monero. Between June 1 and June 27, 2025 average daily deposits to Abacus were USD 230,000 across 1,400 transactions. In late June 2025, users began reporting withdrawal issues with Abacus Market, which typically indicates an impending exit scam.
- Like Archetyp, Incognito had become a dominant marketplace before its fall, with over USD 100 million in drug-related transactions since its launch.
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- Carefully vetted vendors within this archetyp marketplace darknet environment provide diverse product offerings spanning digital services, privacy tools, and specialized equipment.
- Unlike competitors, such as Archetyp, DrugHub, ASAP Market, and Incognito Market, Abacus operated as a central deposit wallet, multisignature DNM that supported both Bitcoin and Monero.
- Unlike some competitors, Archetyp market does not host illegal content directly on its servers; instead, it acts as a secure marketplace for peer-to-peer transactions.
“Although some darknet operators, particularly of Western darknet marketplaces, have historically attempted rebrands or exit scams following law enforcement action, full-scale rebuilds appear to be becoming less common,” it added. Archetyp Market has emerged as one of the most resilient darknet marketplaces, prioritizing security, anonymity, and user-controlled transactions. Last week, one of the dark web’s most prominent drug marketplaces – Archetyp – was shut down in an international, multi-agency law enforcement operation following years of investigations.
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Its admins announced the shutdown as authorities FBI, Europol, others were exposing dozens of its vendors in a sting Operation SaboTor. This set the legal precedent that even Tor hidden markets are prosecutable. Hundreds of kilograms of drugs and millions in Bitcoin were recovered.
The coordinated law enforcement actions took place between June 11 and 13, involving roughly 300 officers. The textile industry is committed to fostering innovation across all aspects of its operations. Experience seamless transactions and a vibrant community.
Community Highlights
Visitors to the Archetyp Market website are now greeted by a banner detailing the takedown. Archetyp Market, which boasted more than 600,000 users, operated for more than five years and contained more than 17,000 listings for illicit substances, including cocaine, MDMA and amphetamines. The market's administrator, a 30-year old German man, was arrested in Barcelona, Spain. The market's takedown came after years of effort from Germany, Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Sweden and the United States.
These peer-to-peer models offer faster turnaround times, reduced fees, and a lower risk of platform takedown, complicating enforcement efforts. Yet even as major darknet platforms fall, TRM Labs data shows that the ecosystem remains highly adaptive. Authorities arrested the alleged administrator, a 30-year-old German national, in Barcelona, while enforcement actions in Germany and Sweden targeted one of the site’s moderators and six of its highest-volume vendors. Archetyp Market had operated for over five years, amassing more than 600,000 registered users and processing at least EUR 250 million in transactions. Archetyp's website went down ostensibly for maintenance late last week, sparking fears among users that the admin was pulling an exit scam – taking all user and vendor market balances and disappearing. In total, police seized 47 smartphones, 45 computers, as well as narcotics and other assets, which will be analyzed for further investigative leads.
