Up
there, belying the picturesque setting, the biggest traffic junction --
not only in Traben-Trabach, but in the whole world -- was to be found,
at least until 650 police officers swept in to raid an old bunker
referred to the by the press as the "Cyberbunker" a few months ago.
Traffic there wasn't measured in kilometers per hour, but in bits per
second. It gave a new meaning to the "underworld" moniker, because it
tells the story of how a postcard-perfect old German town like
Tranen-Trabach became a virtual metropolis of global crime.
Located at Über den Weinbergen 1, four of its five floors are below
ground and it has 5,500 square meters (59,000 square feet) of floor
space. For much of its history, it was used by the German military, and
the fenced-in property aboveground includes a few structures, a guarded
gate and a helicopter pad. Altogether, it's above-ground area is about
32 acres, according to the notarized bill of sale from June 26, 2016,
deed number 1136.
Eight months ago, on Thursday, Sept. 26, special
police units fanned out across Traben-Trarbach, both on the mountain
and below in the valley, to shut down what is thought to have been the
headquarters of a crime ring up on Mont Royal and to arrest members of
that suspected criminal organization in a restaurant on the
Traben-Trarbach side of the river.
It was shortly after 6 p.m. when the police stormed the first floor
of the restaurant, where nine suspects had just sat down for the evening
meal. They were there at the invitation of a police mole, who had long
since infiltrated the group. The restaurant owner's face still goes pale
today when remembering that terrible evening. And as the group was
being rounded up in the restaurant, a large team of police data
forensics experts secured computers, data and other evidence up in the
bunker on the mountain. They must have felt like they were in a kind of
digital Tora Bora.
The spectacular raid came after the kind of
investigation that Germany hasn't seen too many times before. The case
involves myriad criminal proceedings, but essentially focuses on the
opportunities made available to criminals by the internet and,
specifically, by the darknet. Even as many of the crimes are committed
in the analog world – such as forgery, drug trafficking, fraud and theft
– much of it is organized and processed in virtual spaces.
At the heart of this story are two men who took over the bunker from
the state with the apparent intention of using it for their criminal
machinations. And it highlights the challenges facing the state when it
comes to combating the spread of cybercrime – and the challenges facing
online security.
