An international operation involving Moldovan law enforcement officers dismantled a darknet platform used to sell stolen data, carry out cyberattacks, and launder money. Authorities considered the platform, known as Crimenetwork, one of the most active online marketplaces dedicated to cybercrime.
According to the Moldovan Police, officers from the Cybercrime Combating Center of Moldova within the National Investigation Inspectorate of Moldova and prosecutors from PCCOCS conducted the operation in cooperation with authorities from Germany, the Spanish National Police, and Eurojust.
Investigators say the platform operated both as an encrypted forum for cybercriminals and as an illegal online marketplace. Criminals used it to trade stolen data, including bank card information, passwords, and personal documents. Vendors also distributed malware, ransomware, and DDoS attack services through the platform.
According to investigators, the platform had more than 22,000 users and over 100 active vendors, while users carried out transactions in cryptocurrencies. Authorities estimate that the illegal activity generated more than 3.6 million euros in revenue.
Investigators also discovered that servers belonging to a company in the Republic of Moldova hosted the platform’s technical infrastructure. Moldovan officers played a key role in monitoring and documenting the criminal activity conducted through the server hosting the platform.
During the internationally coordinated operation, authorities seized the Crimenetwork platform. A special unit of the Spanish National Police arrested the main suspect, a 35-year-old German citizen, in Mallorca under a European arrest warrant.
During searches carried out as part of the operation, authorities seized goods and devices worth an estimated 194,000 euros that investigators believe were directly linked to the platform’s illegal activities.
Investigators are continuing the criminal investigation and are currently examining the seized devices and data storage media collected during the operation.