‘Operation Deep Sentinel’ Takes Down Dark Web Drug Empire: Archetyp Market Admin Arrested

The420.in
3 Min Read

Law enforcement agencies from six countries have taken down the Archetyp Market — a massive darknet drug marketplace operational since May 2020. The takedown, part of Operation Deep Sentinel, marks a significant blow to global cybercrime networks trafficking narcotics through anonymous online platforms.

From Synthetic Opioids to Cocaine: What Archetyp Was Selling

Archetyp Market functioned as a sprawling online black market that offered a vast array of illicit drugs, including cocaine, amphetamines, heroin, MDMA, cannabis, and lethal synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. The platform hosted more than 17,000 listings by over 3,200 vendors, catering to over 612,000 registered users worldwide. Transactions were conducted in Monero cryptocurrency to enhance anonymity and avoid detection, with total sales volume exceeding €250 million (approx. $289 million/₹2,414 crore) over five years.

The marketplace operated with a level of sophistication often reserved for legitimate e-commerce platforms, allowing customers to rate sellers, track shipments, and make secure payments — all while trading in deadly narcotics.

FCRF x CERT-In Roll Out National Cyber Crisis Management Course to Prepare India’s Digital Defenders

Operation Deep Sentinel: A Joint Effort Across Borders

Led by German police and supported by Europol and Eurojust, Operation Deep Sentinel launched a coordinated offensive between June 11 and 13, 2025, targeting Archetyp’s administrators, moderators, vendors, and digital infrastructure. Authorities in the Netherlands dismantled the marketplace servers, while a 30-year-old German suspect believed to be the site’s admin was arrested in Barcelona, Spain.

Simultaneously, a site moderator and six high-volume vendors were arrested in Germany and Sweden. In total, officers seized 47 smartphones, 45 computers, narcotics, and €7.8 million (₹70.2 crore)worth of illicit assets. Around 300 law enforcement officers were involved in the raids across Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and other locations.

Jean-Philippe Lecouffe, Europol’s Deputy Executive Director of Operations, remarked, “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.”

Algoritha: The Most Trusted Name in BFSI Investigations and DFIR Services

Part of a Larger Offensive Against Darknet Markets

The dismantling of Archetyp Market is the latest success in a string of recent operations targeting darknet criminal infrastructure. In May 2025, another coordinated international crackdown dubbed Operation RapTor resulted in 270 arrests across ten countries. That effort led to the seizure of more than 2 tonnes of drugs, €184 million in cash and cryptocurrency, and 180+ firearms.

Investigators linked many of these arrests to intelligence gathered during earlier takedowns of darknet platforms like Nemesis, Bohemia, Tor2Door, and Kingdom Market. The data helped unmask thousands of users previously operating in complete anonymity.

As dark web marketplaces grow increasingly sophisticated, global law enforcement is responding with stronger coordination, advanced cyber forensics, and joint operations that pierce the cloak of secrecy surrounding these digital underworlds.

Stay Connected