Prolific DarkMarket Vendor Arrested in Germany

German law enforcement agencies announced the arrest of a high-profile DarkMarket vendor.

The Koblenz Public Prosecutor’s Office announced the arrest of a successful vendor on DarkMarket, a darkweb marketplace the same prosecutor’s office helped investigate. The investigation resulted in the arrest of eight suspects as a part of the drug trafficking conspiracy. The group, according to the announcement, imported drugs from the Netherlands to resell on DarkMarket, in addition to other marketplaces. The vendor completed 1,400 transactions on the recently seized marketplace. Of that number, 200 transactions involved large quantities of drugs.

Authorities have not released the name of the vendor account allegedly operated by the suspected drug traffickers.

German Customs launched the investigation in early 2020 after linking the seizure of at least 180 packages of drugs to the same drug trafficking organization. During the investigation, Customs intercepted more than 10 kilograms of amphetamine and almost 8,000 ecstasy pills. Package recipients were people in a number of countries throughout Europe.

In January 2021, Customs worked with State Criminal Police to identify eight people with alleged links to the drug trafficking organization responsible for shipping the amphetamine and ecstasy packages. Authorities did not reveal how they identified the suspects but the case involved “extensive investigation” work.

On February 8, 2021, law enforcement raided nine properties in Rhineland-Palatinate, Bavaria, and North Rhine-Westphalia. During the searches, investigators found and seized 30 kilograms of drugs, including 25 kilograms of amphetamine. The seized drugs are valued at more than $303,257 (€250,000). Although investigators identified eight suspects, the raids only resulted in three arrests, according to a recent press release. The eight suspects are men and women aged between 28 and 65.

They have not commented on the various allegations and those in custody are still waiting on a court appearance. Investigations are ongoing.