Europol and partner agencies shut down the Bitcoin mixing service Cryptomixer in a coordinated action in Zurich. Officials describe the platform as one of Europe’s most active mixers. Investigators seized about €25 million in Bitcoin and gathered more than 12 terabytes of user data. They aimed to disrupt large-scale money laundering.
Authorities from Germany and Switzerland led the operation between 24 and 28 November, with Europol and Eurojust supporting coordination. Police in Zurich took control of the cryptomixer.io domain and replaced its content with a seizure notice. They also shut the platform’s core infrastructure. German investigators reported that the findings will feed into wider cybercrime and money laundering probes.
Investigators state that Cryptomixer operated on both the clear web and the dark web as a hybrid Bitcoin mixer. Since its launch in 2016, the service reportedly processed more than EUR 1.3 billion in Bitcoin transactions, much of it linked to crime. Law enforcement agencies say the mixer became a key tool for ransomware gangs, fraud groups, and vendors on dark web markets.
The mixing software pooled deposits from many users over long and random time frames. It later sent funds out to fresh addresses in smaller, staggered payments. That structure broke visible links on the Bitcoin blockchain and concealed the real owners of funds.
Officials argue that this method helped hide money from drug trafficking, arms sales, payment card fraud, and cyberattacks. Investigators note that mixing services often sit between criminal revenue streams and mainstream finance, making them a priority target for enforcement.
Authorities describe Cryptomixer as an infrastructure layer for digital crime rather than a simple privacy service. They allege that criminals often use the mixer before sending funds on to cryptocurrency exchanges or converting the “cleaned” Bitcoin into cash or other assets.
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Europol coordinated intelligence sharing through its Joint Cybercrime Action Taskforce and sent cybercrime specialists to Zurich to support on-site work. The agency also hosted operational meetings for the Swiss and German teams as they prepared to move against the mixer’s servers and domain.
The action against Cryptomixer follows earlier European moves against Bitcoin mixing platforms. Europol supported the takedown of ChipMixer in March 2023, at the time one of the largest mixers by volume.
Police have not yet announced arrests linked to the Cryptomixer case. However, authorities indicate that the seized data and blockchain traces may open new leads toward operators, service partners, and high-volume criminal users across several jurisdictions.