U.S. authorities say dormant cryptocurrency wallets tied to the now-defunct darknet marketplace Dream Market played a central role in identifying the platform’s suspected main administrator years after the marketplace shut down.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced on 13 May that German citizen Owe Martin Andresen had been indicted on multiple money laundering charges linked to Dream Market, one of the largest darknet marketplaces before its closure in 2019.

German authorities arrested Andresen last week on parallel charges.

According to prosecutors, Andresen allegedly controlled the “Speedstepper” identity, believed to be the main administrator behind Dream Market. 

The marketplace allegedly facilitated large-scale sales…