Suspected darknet 'Dream Market' admin nabbed in international sting
ATLANTA - The suspected main administrator of one of the darknet’s largest illicit marketplaces has been arrested in Germany nearly seven years after the site was shut down.
The German man now faces charges in his home country and in federal court in Atlanta for his part in facilitating the sale of heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl.
Darknet marketplace investigation
What we know:
Federal prosecutors say Owe Martin Andresen, 49, operated as the main administrator for Dream Market under the moniker "Speedstepper."
The site operated for six years before shutting down in 2019, at which point it hosted nearly 100,000 listings for illegal drugs and counterfeit documents.
Although the marketplace closed, millions of dollars in cryptocurrency commissions remained in "Dream Wallets."
Investigators say Andresen accessed these funds in late 2022 using original private keys.
Ongoing legal proceedings
What we don't know:
While Andresen was arrested last week and faces 12 federal counts in the United States, a specific trial date has not been set.
It is also unclear when or if he will be extradited to face the American charges, as he is currently facing parallel prosecution by the German government.
Each federal count in the U.S. carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, while the German charges carry up to five years each.
Alleged money laundering scheme
Why you should care:
The case demonstrates how law enforcement can track illicit digital footprints years after a crime occurs.
Andresen allegedly used an Atlanta-based cryptocurrency service provider in August 2023 to convert his digital loot into gold bars.
He then had those bars shipped to his home in Germany.
In total, he is accused of laundering more than $2 million between August 2023 and April 2025.
Illegal drug sales data
By the numbers:
Evidence presented to a federal grand jury highlighted the staggering scale of the illegal activity on Dream Market:
- 90 kilograms of heroin
- 450 kilograms of cocaine
- 45 kilograms of methamphetamine
- 36 kilograms of fentanyl
- $1.7 million in gold bars recovered during recent searches
- $1.2 million in bank and cryptocurrency funds believed to be proceeds of the site
‘Illicit actors may hide in the shadows’
What they're saying:
"Andresen allegedly channeled commissions earned from selling illegal drugs, stolen personally identifiable information, counterfeit identification documents, and other items through cryptocurrency wallets and even converted his ill-gotten gains into gold bars," said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg for the Northern District of Georgia. "Thanks to the close coordination between federal and German law enforcement, Andresen and his co-conspirators will no longer profit from the online sales of narcotics and fraud services, and Andresen will be prosecuted in both Germany and the United States as a result of his actions."
"This action highlights the unwavering commitment of IRS Criminal Investigation and our global law enforcement partners to dismantle the financial engines that sustain transnational criminal enterprises," said Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS CI) Washington D.C. Field Office. "The reintegration of long dormant proceeds demonstrates a hard truth: illicit actors may hide in the shadows, but their financial footprints remain. IRS CI is dedicated to following the money, and our Cyber Crimes Unit special agents are dedicated to exposing those who attempt to exploit technology to evade accountability."
"Technology has provided drug traffickers with more and more options to peddle their poisons into our communities," said Special Agent in Charge Miles Aley of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Miami Field Division. "It’s up to us to slam the door on those options and bring these cyber criminals to justice."
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from a federal indictment and a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, which detailed the arrest of Owe Martin Andresen and the history of the Dream Market investigation.