What in the World - The takedown of one of the world’s largest online drug markets

Download The takedown of one of the world’s largest online drug markets

In June 2025, a Europe-wide law enforcement operation shut down Archetyp Market, the longest-running illegal drug marketplace on the dark web. 300 officers were involved and assets worth €7.8 million were seized. It’s estimated that Archetyp had over 600,000 users worldwide, with a total transaction volume of at least €250 million, mainly offering illegal drugs for sale, like cocaine, MDMA, amphetamines and synthetic opioids like fentanyl.

BBC Cyber correspondent Joe Tidy explains how the dark web and these marketplaces work as well as what we know about how the police were able to track down Archetyp’s vendors and moderators.

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Presenter: Iqra Farooq
Producers: Emilia Jansson and Julia Ross-Roy
Editor: Verity Wilde

Published on Wednesday, 30th July 2025.

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