Police Shut Down Cryptomixer Service, Seize $29 Million in Cryptocurrency
Law enforcement agencies in Switzerland and Germany have dismantled Cryptomixer, a major cryptocurrency mixing service that laundered approximately $1.5 billion in Bitcoin since 2016.
The takedown, codenamed "Operation Olympia," took place in Zurich between November 24-28. Authorities seized three servers containing over 12 TB of data, shut down domains on both the regular internet and Tor network, and confiscated Bitcoin worth approximately $29 million. Europol and Eurojust coordinated the raids. No arrests were announced.
How Cryptomixer Operated
Cryptomixer functioned as a hybrid mixing service, operating simultaneously on the open internet and darknet. The platform helped criminals obscure the origin of funds by breaking the traceable links on blockchain networks.
Per Europol, the service became the preferred laundering tool for ransomware groups, darknet marketplaces, and underground forums. Criminal proceeds from drug trafficking, arms sales, ransomware attacks, and payment card fraud all flowed through the platform during its eight-year operation.
Authorities emphasized that mixing services provide criminals with anonymity at a critical juncture—when stolen assets must be converted into fiat currency or other cryptocurrencies without triggering tracking mechanisms. While such platforms could theoretically serve legitimate privacy purposes, investigators say criminal organizations represent their primary user base.
Pattern of Enforcement
The Cryptomixer takedown follows similar high-profile operations targeting cryptocurrency mixers:
ChipMixer (March 2023): Europol coordinated an international operation resulting in the seizure of four servers, 7 TB of data, and $46.5 million in Bitcoin. German police and the FBI led that investigation.
Samourai Wallet (November 2024): U.S. courts sentenced the founders of the Samourai cryptocurrency mixer to prison after convicting them of laundering over $237 million.
These successive operations demonstrate that international law enforcement agencies are systematically targeting infrastructure that enables financial crime in cryptocurrency markets.
Impact on Criminal Ecosystems
The shutdown represents another significant disruption to criminal cryptocurrency operations. Law enforcement agencies have increasingly focused on mixing services as chokepoints in the money laundering process, where illicit funds become vulnerable during conversion.
Authorities recovered 12 TB of data from Cryptomixer's servers—information that may enable investigators to trace historical transactions and identify users who relied on the service for laundering operations.
The $1.5 billion in Bitcoin that passed through Cryptomixer during its operation underscores the scale of cryptocurrency-based money laundering and the importance of targeting the technical infrastructure that supports it.
