Germany’s Crypto Crackdown: eXch Shut Down, €34M Seized, and 8TB of Data Nabbed! 🚨

Picture this: a shadowy crypto exchange operating in the murky corners of the internet, funneling billions in digital coins for hackers and darknet crooks. Sounds like a cybercrime blockbuster, right? Well, that’s the real-life saga of eXch, a cryptocurrency swapping platform just dismantled by German authorities in a jaw-dropping operation. On April 30, 2025, the German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) pulled the plug on eXch, seizing €34 million ($38 million) in crypto and 8 terabytes of data, all linked to a staggering $1.9 billion in money laundering. 😱 Let’s dive into the techy details, unpack how this platform became a criminal favorite, and explore what this bust means for the crypto world. Buckle up — it’s a wild ride! 🚀

The Big Bust: What Went Down? 🕵️‍♂️

On May 9, 2025, the BKA, alongside Frankfurt’s Public Prosecutor’s Office and Dutch authorities, announced the takedown of eXch.cx, a crypto exchange that had been a go-to for cybercriminals since 2014. Operating on both the clearnet and dark web, eXch was a swapping service that let users trade cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), and Dash (DASH) without a shred of Know Your Customer (KYC) or Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance. 😈