Europol Cracks $1.4B Cryptomixer, Seizes $27M and 12TB of User Data in Major Blow to Anonymity

Privacy just got a lot more expensive.

Europol just pulled the plug on one of the biggest anonymizing services in the crypto underworld. The takedown wasn't subtle—authorities seized millions in digital assets and a staggering amount of user data, sending a clear message to anyone trying to hide their tracks.

The Illusion of Anonymity

Cryptomixers promise to scramble transaction trails, making funds untraceable. They're the digital equivalent of a money-laundering car wash. This particular operation processed a jaw-dropping $1.4 billion in assets, offering a false sense of security to its users.

That sense of security is now a $27 million liability, sitting in a government wallet. The real kicker? The 12 terabytes of user data now in law enforcement hands. That's not just a ledger; it's a roadmap.

A New Era of Enforcement

This isn't a one-off raid. It's a coordinated, cross-border strike that shows regulators are no longer playing catch-up. They're building the tools to follow the money, even when it's been chopped, mixed, and tumbled through dozens of wallets.

The old crypto mantra of 'being your own bank' is getting a regulatory footnote: and your own compliance department. For the traditional finance crowd watching from the sidelines, it's just another Tuesday—another shady fintech startup getting a reality check from the adults in the room.

The message is carved in blockchain: anonymity at scale is a myth. The next transaction you try to hide might just be the one that gets you caught.

Six-Year-Old Crypto Laundering Service Taken Offline

The operation took place between November 24 and 28 in Zurich, with Europol supporting authorities on the ground throughout the action week.

Investigators seized three servers, took control of the cryptomixer(dot)io domain, and replaced the site with a law-enforcement seizure banner.

According to Europol, the platform, known as “Cryptomixer,” functioned as a hybrid mixing service on both the clear web and the dark web.

Since its launch in 2016, the service has processed more than €1.3 billion in bitcoin linked to a wide range of illegal activity.

Authorities say the mixer was used heavily by ransomware groups, underground cybercrime forums, and operators on dark-web markets.

Its software pooled deposits for long, randomized periods, then redistributed funds to new addresses designed to break transaction trails.

This method helped conceal proceeds of drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, payment-card fraud, and cyberattacks, allowing criminals to convert “cleaned” assets back into other cryptocurrencies or fiat currency through exchanges, ATMs, and bank accounts.

Europol coordinated intelligence sharing through its Joint Cybercrime Action Taskforce and provided forensic specialists during the raids.

The agency has been involved in several major anti-mixing operations in recent years, including the March 2023 takedown of ChipMixer, then the largest service of its kind.

The shutdown comes as the EU tightens its anti-money-laundering framework ahead of major regulatory deadlines. Under new AML rules tied to MiCA, crypto-mixing services are banned across the bloc, and anonymity-enhancing coins such as Monero and Zcash will be prohibited by 2027.

Crypto-asset service providers are required to apply strict KYC checks, identify the sender and receiver of all transfers, and conduct enhanced due diligence on transactions above €1,000.

These measures aim to close regulatory gaps that have historically allowed laundering networks to operate across borders with minimal oversight.

Europol Leads Wave of Digital Crime Takedowns as Mixer Scrutiny Grows

The enforcement climate around mixers has intensified globally. In January 2025, a U.S. federal grand jury indicted three Russian nationals accused of running Blender(dot)io and its successor, Sinbad(dot)io, mixers the Department of Justice says were used by the North Korean Lazarus Group.

A federal grand jury in Georgia has indicted three Russian nationals for operating cryptocurrency mixing services https://t.co/O4zvAPMnTQ and https://t.co/2yKHniWPLK.#Mixer #Russianhttps://t.co/6fgsHt1UjR

In November, a New York court sentenced Samourai Wallet co-developer Keonne Rodriguez to five years in prison after prosecutors said the service laundered more than $237 million in illicit funds.

The ruling has accelerated scrutiny of privacy-focused and non-custodial crypto tools.

Notably, Samourai Wallet’s chief technology officer, William Lonergan Hill, was also sentenced to four years in federal prison for his role in the mixer activities.

@SamouraiWallet founders Keonne Rodriguez and William Hill are set to reverse their plea to “guilty” in a high-profile crypto privacy case, according to New York court filings.#SamouraiWallet #CryptoMixers https://t.co/8aHVgJKESf

The Cryptomixer takedown also arrives during one of Europol’s most active enforcement years in the digital-crime ecosystem.

In October, European investigators dismantled a cybercrime syndicate responsible for creating more than 49 million fake online accounts.

The network provided temporary SIM-based phone numbers that allowed criminals to bypass two-factor authentication and mass-produce fraudulent identities used to exploit exchanges, banks, and e-commerce platforms.

Seven suspects were arrested, and hundreds of SIM servers and routers were seized.

Earlier in June, Europol led raids against Archetyp Market, one of the dark web’s longest-running drug marketplaces.

Europol has dismantled one of the dark web’s longest-running marketplaces, Archetyp Market, following coordinated raids across six countries. #Archetyp #Darknethttps://t.co/sweGIyi2if

Authorities seized Core infrastructure in the Netherlands and arrested suspects across Europe, though experts noted that operators often regroup on decentralized platforms.