Alleged Archetyp Market founder charged in Germany

German prosecutors said Monday they had charged an unnamed 31-year-old German man alleged to have founded and operated Archetyp Market, a major darknet drug-trading platform.

The platform was shut down in an international operation in June 2025. Prosecutors said it was then the world's biggest trading site for narcotics, cannabis, new psychoactive substances and medication.

The man was arrested in Barcelona in June 2025 and extradited to Germany. Prosecutors allege that between November 2022 and June 2025, about 2.3 million orders worth 330 million euros, or $380 million, were placed on Archetyp Market.

They said payments were made in the Monero cryptocurrency and alleged the accused took a cut of about five percent. Prosecutors said he earned about 20 million euros in fees and commissions linked to the platform.

Investigators have seized about 10 million euros in assets from the accused, including cash, cryptocurrencies and luxury cars.

At the time Archetyp Market was dismantled, Europol and Eurojust said it had more than 600,000 user accounts and about 3,200 vendors. They also said it was one of the only platforms to offer fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.