Aleksej Besciokov, an operator of the sanctioned Russian crypto exchange Garantex, was arrested in India. He faces charges related to money laundering and violations of sanctions. The U.S. Treasury sanctioned Garantex in 2022 due to its role in facilitating criminal activities. International law enforcement recently seized the exchange’s assets and froze significant cryptocurrency holdings.
Aleksej Besciokov, a key operator of the Russian cryptocurrency exchange Garantex, has reportedly been arrested in India. Besciokov, a 46-year-old Lithuanian national and Russian resident, was apprehended in Kerala while vacationing with his family. He faces serious charges, including conspiracy to commit money laundering, violate sanctions, and operate an unlicensed money transmitting business.
International law enforcement agencies, including those from the U.S., Germany, and Finland, recently seized Garantex’s servers and domains. In connection with this operation, they froze almost $28 million in cryptocurrency associated with Garantex. The exchange was previously sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in 2022 due to its involvement with ransomware groups and darknet marketplaces.
Garantex has been linked to facilitating money laundering activities for criminal organizations, including North Korea’s Lazarus Group, which recently executed the $1.5 billion Bybit heist. Additionally, reports indicate that Garantex has been involved in providing sanctions evasion services, particularly to Russian oligarchs through the TGR Group.
U.S. prosecutors have charged Besciokov with a money laundering conspiracy alongside another operator, Aleksandr Mira Serda. Currently, Besciokov appears on the U.S. Secret Service’s Most Wanted list. As of now, both the Kerala police and the U.S. Department of Justice have not provided comments regarding his arrest.
The arrest of Aleksej Besciokov marks a significant development in the ongoing efforts to combat illicit financial activities associated with cryptocurrency exchanges. With serious charges pending and connections to major criminal operations such as ransomware and sanctions evasion, this case underscores the growing scrutiny of cryptocurrency platforms by international law enforcement agencies. It remains pivotal to monitor the outcomes of these legal actions and their implications for the crypto industry.
Original Source: www.coindesk.com
