A joint effort by Swiss and German law enforcement agencies has led to the shutdown of Cryptomixer.io, a major platform used to conceal the origins of bitcoin transfers linked to illegal activities. German federal investigation agency BKA stated that they collaborated with Frankfurt prosecutors and Zurich authorities to close the site on Wednesday of last week.
Cryptomixer.io, launched in 2016, operated as a bitcoin mixer, a service that anonymises cryptocurrency transactions by breaking them up and mixing them with other funds. The BKA reported that it was one of the largest bitcoin mixers, handling billions of euros, primarily from criminal sources.
The operation, spearheaded by Zurich law enforcement, resulted in the seizure of servers in Switzerland, the Cryptomixer.io domain, over 12 terabytes of data, and bitcoins valued at more than 25 million euros (approximately $29 million AUD). Authorities suspect Cryptomixer.io of facilitating cybercrime, including ransomware schemes and money laundering.
The BKA noted that Europol, along with agencies from the European Union and the U.S., participated in the investigation. “The findings will also contribute to the investigation of further cybercrimes,” the agency stated. Europol added that Cryptomixer.io was accessible on both the regular web and the dark web.
