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Germany at center of cybercrime crackdown

February 29, 2016

Police raids have targeted German-language cybercrime platforms across Europe. The move is part of an effort to combat illegal activities on the so-called darknet.

https://p.dw.com/p/1I48d
Internet criminals
Image: Imago/Schöning

Nine people were arrested and 69 properties were searched as part of a Europe-wide crackdown on illegal online businesses, police confirmed on Monday.

The targets were primarily German-speaking cybercrime platforms, and the majority of the arrests were made in Germany. Other countries targeted included Lithuania, Russia, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The raids are part of an ongoing effort to tackle the growing problem of illegal businesses on the so-called darknet, a platform that allows criminals to sell drugs, weapons, counterfeit money and illegal documents.

The suspect at the center of the raids is a 27-year-old man from Bosnia-Herzegovina, who was arrested last Wednesday. Two German nationals were among those arrested. They were detained in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony.

Authorities also confiscated computers, storage devices and some 150,000 euros ($163,522).

blc/kms (dpa, AFP)