A former NATO bunker where a crooked darknet gang made millions through criminal transactions has gone up for sale in Germany,
The bunker, in Traben-Trarbach, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, became notorious as the headquarters of a gang of cyber crooks.
A court heard how the base sold digital protection allowing drug dealers and fraudsters to carry out their transactions without fear of being discovered.
Seven men and one woman running the cyber centre have since been jailed by German judges.
Now the 13-hectare, five-floor bunker, which features buildings on the surface, is going up for sale, according to local media.
It was originally seized by the local General Prosecutor’s Office as a proceed of crime and has been owned by the state of Rhineland-Palatinate since 2021.
Local media said that a number of potential buyers have already expressed interest in the riverside property although its asking price has not been revealed.
The bunker was bought by cybercriminal gang’s Mr Big in 2012 for EUR 450,000 (GBP 383,000).
Dutch citizen Helmut X., who was tried as the ringleader, was sentenced to five years and nine months behind bars.
The trial heard how the gang ran hundreds of servers and hosted more than 250,000 crimes including drug deals, data trafficking, cyber-attacks, child porn, and money counterfeiting.
To find out more about the author, editor or agency that supplied this story – please click below.
Story By: Joseph Golder, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash
The Ananova page is created by and dedicated to professional, independent freelance journalists. It is a place for us to showcase our work. When our news is sold to our media partners, we will include the link here.
