European authorities shut down and seized the assets of Cryptomixer, a cryptocurrency mixing service that allegedly facilitated more than $1.5 billion in money laundering for cybercriminals and other illegal activity, Europol said on Monday.
The weeklong operation, part of Operation Olympia, netted the seizure of nearly $28 million in Bitcoin, three servers in Switzerland, the cryptomixer.io domain and more than 12 terabytes of data, officials said. The site currently displays a seizure notice warning that anyone using or operating cybercriminal services is subject to investigation and prosecution.
Officials said the takedown was part of a broader global law enforcement effort to disrupt, confiscate and obtain additional information on the services cybercriminals rely upon and the individuals leading those operations.
Cryptomixer, which was accessible on the clear and dark web, mixed more than $1.5 billion in Bitcoin through its infrastructure since its founding in 2016, Europol said. Officials described the service as the platform of choice for criminals involved in ransomware, payment card fraud, and drugs and weapons trafficking.
Europol said deposited funds from various users were pooled for a long and randomized period before being redistributed to destination addresses at random times. The agency added that mixing services offer clients anonymity and are often used before criminals redirect laundered assets to cryptocurrency exchanges.
North Korean-linked Lazarus Group used Cryptomixer and similar services before shifting to high-volume attacks, according to TRM Labs. TRM said Lazarus stole $1.46 billion in Ethereum from Bybit in February and laundered about $160 million within two days of the attack. Researchers said North Korea now appears to prioritize speed and automation over traditional anonymity.
Officials also cited the 2023 takedown of ChipMixer as an example of sustained enforcement targeting mixing services. Europol, Eurojust and law enforcement agencies in Germany and Switzerland supported the Cryptomixer shutdown, officials said.