Major International Drug Marketplace Archetyp Shut Down, Several Swedes Arrested
The shutdown of Archetyp, a major darknet drug marketplace, leads to multiple arrests in Sweden.
Key Points
- • Archetyp shut down in international police operation
- • Several Swedes arrested, including site moderators
- • Marketplace facilitated sales of harmful synthetic opioids
- • Estimated total transactions reached at least 250 million euros
In a significant operation on June 16, 2025, police forces around the globe successfully shut down Archetyp, one of the largest drug marketplaces operating on the darknet. This platform, which was implicated in the growing narcotics crisis, boasted an alarming scale of criminal activity, with over 600,000 users, 3,000 sellers, and approximately 17,000 listings at the time of its closure. The operation also led to the arrest of several individuals from Sweden, showcasing the country's involvement in the international narcotics trade for the first time.
Key figures reveal that Swedish sellers constituted a notable portion of the marketplace's activity, with 73 active users facilitating transactions. Steffen Oxenvad, head of complex cyber crime at the National Operations Department (Noa), underscored the significance of this event, emphasizing that Swedish involvement signifies a troubling trend of the country acting as an exporter of narcotics.
Archetyp was notorious for enabling the sale of synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl and nitazenes, which have been tied to numerous fatalities both in Sweden and beyond. The total revenue generated through the marketplace has been conservatively estimated at over 250 million euros, all transactions processed via cryptocurrencies. The facilitators, including moderators who supported sellers in advertising their wares, indirectly contributed to financing violent organized crime within Sweden, according to Oxenvad.
While the operation underscores a successful international collaborative effort against drug trafficking on the darknet, it also highlights the evolving nature of Sweden's role in the global narcotics ecosystem. Police conducted raids across Sweden, identifying suspects involved in the operation, which marks a turning point in Sweden’s fight against drug-related crimes on an international platform. This incident reflects urgent concerns over the impact of these marketplaces on the public's health and safety. Moving forward, authorities are expected to intensify their focus on dismantling similar networks, both domestically and internationally.