Europol Seizes €25 Million in Bitcoin As It Shuts Down Major Crypto-Mixing Platform

Europol shuts a major crypto mixer linked to large laundering activity and seizes significant digital assets.

New EU rules tighten controls on crypto transfers and restrict anonymity tools across the region.

Global authorities increase actions against mixers used by ransomware groups and darknet networks.

Europol and law enforcement agencies in Germany and Switzerland shut down one of Europe’s largest illicit crypto-mixing platforms after coordinated raids in Zurich. Authorities seized €25 million in Bitcoin, three servers and more than 12 terabytes of user data during the operation

They also took control of the cryptomixer.io domain and replaced the website with a seizure notice. The action occurred between November 24 and 28 and formed part of the EU’s wider effort to disrupt services that hide criminal funds.

Tracing Illicit Funds Through the Platform

Investigators identified the platform, known as Cryptomixer, as a key laundering hub for ransomware groups, darknet markets and multiple fraud networks. The service operated on both the clear web and the dark web. Officials report that the platform processed more than €1.3 billion in Bitcoin since 2016. Its mixing model pooled deposits for long, randomized periods. It then redistributed the funds to new addresses to disrupt blockchain tracing

This method allowed the criminals to transfer the money of drug sales, weapon sales and cyberattack to other cryptocurrencies or fiat currency via exchanges and ATMs. Europol assisted the operation by having forensic experts and coordinated intelligence exchanges via its Joint Cybercrime Action Taskforce. The agency has facilitated a number of significant anti-mixing operations such as the 2023 closure of ChipMixer.

Regulatory Pressure Builds Across the EU

The shutdown is coinciding with the EU reinforcing its anti-money-laundering infrastructure in the future MiCA-aligned regulations. In these measures, cryptocurrency mixing services are prohibited throughout the bloc. Anonymity-enhancing coins, such as Monero and Zcash, are also banned by the rules by 2027

The providers of crypto-asset services should impose strict verification procedures, keep the data on the sender and receiver and check the transactions which are over 1000. The regulators believe that such moves would seal loopholes through which cross-border laundering networks could be run without much oversight.

The climate of enforcement concerning mixers is becoming stricter all over the world. In January 2025, a U.S. federal grand jury charged three Russian nationals with running two mixers that were linked to the North Korean Lazarus Group. New York courts also made prison sentences to two developers of Samourai Wallet following discovery that the service was associated with over $237 million in illegal transfers. These decisions brought additional attention to privacy-oriented tools that are still present in the crypto space.

Europol Expands Digital-Crime Enforcement

The Cryptomixer action follows a series of operations targeting digital-crime networks across Europe. In October, investigators dismantled a syndicate that created more than 49 million fake online accounts using temporary SIM-based numbers. The network helped criminals bypass authentication tools and produce false identities for use on financial and e-commerce platforms

Authorities arrested seven suspects and seized hundreds of SIM servers and routers. Earlier in June, Europol led raids against Archetyp Market, one of the dark web’s longest-running drug marketplaces. It also recently confirmed that crypto-related crimes are becoming more complex. Officials seized infrastructure in the Netherlands and detained suspects in several countries as part of the coordinated action.