German authorities announced the closure of an illegal underground market called “. nemesis market It sold drugs, data theft, and various cybercrime services.
The Federal Criminal Police Office (also known as Bundcriminalamt, BKA) announced that it has seized digital infrastructure related to darknet services in Germany and Lithuania, and seized 94,000 euros ($102,107) in cryptocurrency assets.
The operation was carried out in cooperation with law enforcement agencies in Germany, Lithuania, and the United States, and was carried out on March 20, 2024, following an extensive investigation that began in October 2022.
Founded in 2021, Nemesis Market is estimated to have over 150,000 user accounts and over 1,100 seller accounts from around the world before its closure. Nearly $20 of the seller account came from Germany.
“Products available on the market included drugs, illicitly obtained data and goods, as well as cybercrime services such as ransomware, phishing and DDoS attacks,” BKA said.
The agency said further investigations into criminal sellers and users of the platform are currently underway. However, no arrests have been made.
This development comes a month after another coordinated law enforcement operation took control of the LockBit ransomware group, took control of the organization's servers, and arrested three of its affiliates in Poland and Ukraine. The chaos prompted the gang to resume its cyber extortion operations.
German authorities have also raided Kingdom Market and Crime Market in recent months. Both boasted thousands of users and offered a wide range of money laundering and cybercrime services.
