[Back to the takedown index](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns) # Hydra Market server seizure April 2022, Darknet market Led by [Bundeskriminalamt](https://takedownindex.org/organizations/bundeskriminalamt) Verified core entry, last reviewed August 21, 2026 What was taken down? Server infrastructure in Germany seized; approximately 543.3 BTC seized in 88 transactions; marketplace taken offline.[[1]](#source-1)[[2]](#source-2)[[3]](#source-3) [See what happened](#what-happened) What happened to the people? Officials reported 1 charged and 1 publicly wanted. 1 charged and 1 publicly wanted named in the public record. Group accounted for: Partial [See people and accountability](#people) Did it stay down? After this action a successor service took over the same demand, first seen April 2022. Medium confidence in the link between the two. [See what happened afterward](#afterward) ## What happened German Federal Criminal Police Office and the Frankfurt General Prosecutor's Office cybercrime unit seized the German-hosted server infrastructure of Hydra Market, the largest Russian-language darknet marketplace, together with cryptocurrency held on the platform.[[1]](#source-1)[[2]](#source-2)[[3]](#source-3) Announced April 5, 2022. **Date:** April 2022 **Target:** Hydra Market, tor hidden service marketplace **Activity:** Darknet market, Cryptocurrency laundering, Fraud and stolen data **Operational lead:** BKA **Partners** ZIT, DOJ, and 1 more[[1]](#source-1)[[2]](#source-2) - [Zentralstelle zur Bekämpfung der Internetkriminalität, Generalstaatsanwaltschaft Frankfurt am Main](https://takedownindex.org/organizations/zentralstelle-zur-bekampfung-der-internetkriminalitat-generalstaatsanwaltschaft-), prosecuting - [United States Department of Justice](https://takedownindex.org/organizations/united-states-department-of-justice), charging - [Office of Foreign Assets Control, United States Department of the Treasury](https://takedownindex.org/organizations/office-of-foreign-assets-control-united-states-department-of-the-treasury), other **Jurisdiction:** Germany, United States, and Russia **Outcome:** Server infrastructure in Germany seized; approximately 543.3 BTC seized in 88 transactions; marketplace taken offline. **Status:** Completed **Legal mechanism:** German judicial seizure orders; parallel US indictment (Northern District of California) **Group accounted for:** Partial ### Infrastructure 543 cryptocurrency wallets seized. Servers seized, with no count in the record. | Identifier | Recorded as | Status | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Not published | Server | Seized, Germany | German-hosted server infrastructure supporting Hydra Market. Exact server count not published.[[1]](#source-1) | | Not published | approximately 543 cryptocurrency wallets | Seized, Germany | Approximately 543.3 BTC seized in 88 transactions, worth roughly 23 to 25 million USD at the time. Valuation varies by source.[[1]](#source-1)[[3]](#source-3) | Domains and onion addresses are shown defanged. Where the record gives a count but no identifier, the count is shown in place of one. This list carries only what appears in the cited sources. ## People and accountability Named in the public record: 1 charged and 1 publicly wanted. Figures count individuals named in charging documents and official statements, each person once per outcome. People alleged to be involved but not publicly identified are not counted. Reported and named. Officials reported 1 charged and 1 publicly wanted. 1 charged and 1 publicly wanted named in the public record. The two figures come from different places and are never added together. Officials publish a headline total, and this index counts only the individuals it can name from the cited record. #### Dmitry Olegovich Pavlov Operated and administered the servers that ran Hydra Market. Current public status: Charged and Publicly wanted. **Charging authority:** United States Department of Justice **Main charges:** Conspiracy to distribute narcotics; Conspiracy to commit money laundering **Case number:** Not established in the public record **Arresting authority:** Not established in the public record **Arrest location:** Not established in the public record **Extradition status:** Not established in the public record **Conviction or plea:** Not established in the public record **Sentence:** Not established in the public record **Segment:** Facilitator **Sources:** [[2]](#source-2) **Full record:** [Everything indexed for Dmitry Olegovich Pavlov](https://takedownindex.org/people/dmitry-olegovich-pavlov) Group accounted for: Partial One alleged server administrator was charged in the US and remains a fugitive. German authorities explicitly confirmed no arrests were made on the action date. The controlling operator group was never identified publicly. Core operator group never publicly enumerated. Platform had roughly 17 million customer accounts and more than 19,000 seller accounts, which are separate populations. [See the organizations and roles behind this action](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/hydra-market-server-seizure/organizations) ## What happened afterward No arrests on the action date. Dmitry Olegovich Pavlov charged in the US and remains at large.[[1]](#source-1)[[2]](#source-2)[[3]](#source-3) April 2022 Mega, Blacksprut, Kraken, OMG!OMG!, Solaris. Ecosystem successor. Confidence: Medium. Not established.[[3]](#source-3) Multiple Russian-language markets absorbed Hydra's vendor and buyer base after the seizure. No verified operator continuity with Hydra's administration. Return class E. The class is a research grading carried in the source dataset and its scale is not published, so this page relies on the relationship and confidence values instead. [How this index handles it](https://takedownindex.org/about). ## Sources Numbered markers throughout this entry link to the source that supports the claim beside them. ### Official sources 1. [Bundeskriminalamt statement on the seizure of the Hydra Market server infrastructure](https://takedownindex.org/sources/bundeskriminalamt-bundeskriminalamt-statement-on-the-seizure-of-the-hydra-market) Bundeskriminalamt, April 5, 2022, Source grade P1 Server seizure in Germany, Bitcoin seizure, confirmation of no arrests No address recorded for this source. Publisher, title, and date are given so it can be retrieved from the publisher. 2. [Justice Department Investigation Leads to Shutdown of Largest Online Darknet Marketplace](https://takedownindex.org/sources/united-states-department-of-justice-justice-department-investigation-leads-to-sh) United States Department of Justice, April 5, 2022, Source grade P1 US charges against Dmitry Pavlov, marketplace scale, parallel sanctions No address recorded for this source. Publisher, title, and date are given so it can be retrieved from the publisher. ### Additional reporting and technical analysis 1. [Elliptic analysis of the Hydra Market Bitcoin seizure](https://takedownindex.org/sources/elliptic-elliptic-analysis-of-the-hydra-market-bitcoin-seizure) Elliptic, April 5, 2022, Source grade T2 Confirmation of 543.3 BTC seized across 88 transactions; successor market ecosystem No address recorded for this source. Publisher, title, and date are given so it can be retrieved from the publisher. Coverage note. - OFAC sanctioned Hydra and the exchange Garantex on the same date. Sanctions are recorded as a separate action and are not treated as part of the infrastructure seizure or as criminal charges. - Apprehended count of 0 is explicitly established by German authorities and is therefore recorded as 0 rather than null. - Estimated lifetime volume of approximately 5.2 billion USD and roughly 80 percent of 2021 darknet-market cryptocurrency volume are analyst estimates, not official figures. Research context ## How this entry was checked This entry went through a dedicated source verification pass. Publisher, title, publication date, and docket numbers were confirmed against each cited source. Source review: Verified core Sources cited: 3 Research cutoff: August 20, 2026 Last reviewed August 21, 2026 See also [About the Internet Takedown Index](https://takedownindex.org/about) Related entries - [VPNLab.net takedown](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/vpnlab-net-takedown) - [Hive ransomware infiltration and seizure](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/hive-ransomware-infiltration-and-seizure) - [Monopoly Market seizure](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/monopoly-market-seizure) Report updates or corrections Help keep this record accurate. [Submit feedback](https://takedownindex.org/about#corrections-and-updates)