German authorities shut down online marketplace for drugs, data and cybercrime services

BERLIN (AP) — German authorities said Thursday they have taken down a major online marketplace for drugs, cybercrime services and fraudulently obtained credit card data.

Investigators seized the Nemesis Market platform’s server infrastructure in Germany and Lithuania on Wednesday, as well as cryptocurrency worth 94,000 euros ($102,000), Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office said in a joint statement with Frankfurt prosecutors.

The seizure followed an investigation in cooperation with the FBI, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the statement said.

The platform was active on the darknet, a part of the internet accessible only through specialized tools that provide more anonymity. It was founded in 2021 and had more than 150,000 user accounts and over 1,100 seller accounts worldwide, nearly 20% of the latter in Germany, according to German authorities.

The wares it offered included drugs, fraudulently obtained data and goods, and cybercrime services including ransomware, phishing and distributed denial-of-service, or DDoS, attacks.

The data from this week’s seizures will be the basis for further investigations against sellers and users who used the platform, German authorities said.