Archetyp Dark Web Market Seized, Admin Arrested in Spain

European law enforcement agencies have dismantled Archetyp Market, a long-running dark web platform used primarily for drug sales, following a coordinated international operation called Operation Deep Sentinel spanning six countries. The takedown brings an end to a major online drug marketplace that had operated largely uninterrupted for over five years.

Archetyp had built a global user base exceeding 600,000 and facilitated transactions worth at least 250 million euros. Investigators say it was one of the few dark web markets to allow the sale of fentanyl and other powerful synthetic opioids, contributing to the wider threat of overdose and illicit drug circulation across Europe and elsewhere.

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. About 300 officers were involved, arresting the 30-year-old German administrator in Barcelona and taking down the marketplace ...