Overview
- The 35-year-old, arrested on Mallorca on Wednesday under a European warrant, is in extradition custody to face proceedings in Germany.
- Prosecutors say he ran about 42 deceptive web stores from March 2023 to January 2025 that took payments for undelivered goods, with roughly 1,000 identified victims and at least €323,000 in losses.
- Police searched his flat on the island and properties in Germany at the same time, seizing numerous data carriers and bitcoins valued at about €314,000, and they also searched addresses tied to two suspected accomplices in Kaltenkirchen and Unna plus a witness in Landkreis Mettmann.
- The BKA and Frankfurt cybercrime unit link him to a rebuilt ‘Crimenetwork’ marketplace that investigators say grew to more than 22,000 users and 100 sellers with evidence of about €3.6 million in turnover, and German authorities report the site has now been taken offline.
- Officials say the suspect lived for years on Mallorca under a false identity, and they continue to investigate potential accomplices and aim to transfer him to Germany, steps that could help claw back funds for victims.