Global Crackdown: U.S. and EU Freeze $26M in Garantex Crypto Funds

• Garantex charged with laundering funds for ransomware and criminals.
• Tether blocks over 2.5 billion rubles, forcing Garantex to halt services.
• U.S. authorities seize exchange’s domains, servers, and $26M in funds.

Global law enforcement agencies have conducted a major crackdown on Garantex, a Russian cryptocurrency exchange linked to illicit activities. Authorities from the U.S., Europe, and other regions targeted the exchange’s operations. The operation prompted Tether to freeze nearly $28 million in cryptocurrency wallets which led to suspension of its services.

U.S and E.U Crackdown on Garantex

Garantex, a platform often associated with ransomware and money laundering, has faced sanctions from the European Union and the U.S. Treasury Department. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) charged the exchange’s administrators with facilitating money laundering and violating sanctions. Investigators revealed that the exchange had been used for various criminal activities like ransomware, drug trafficking, and terrorism financing.

Law enforcement agencies involved in this operation included the FBI, Europol, and national authorities from Germany, Finland, and Estonia. These agencies seized several domains and servers, including critical customer and accounting databases linked to the exchange. U.S. authorities also froze over $26 million connected to illegal transactions carried out on the exchange.

Tether, the largest stablecoin issuer, also froze over 2.5 billion rubles worth of assets held by Garantex which disrupted the exchanges’ operations. Garantex announced a temporary suspension of its services such as cryptocurrency withdrawals after the wallet freeze by Tether.

Garantex Administrators Charged

Garantex’s administrators, Aleksej Besciokov and Aleksandr Mira Serda were charged for their roles in facilitating large-scale money laundering operations. Besciokov, who managed the exchange’s technical infrastructure, and Serda, the co-founder, are now facing multiple criminal charges. They are accused of conspiracy to conceal the exchange’s role in illicit transactions.

Garantex has processed billions in cryptocurrency transactions since 2019, some of which were linked to criminal organizations. The exchange has served as a hub for laundering proceeds from cybercrime groups like Conti. The exchange defied previous sanctions and continued to operate which exacerbated the challenges faced by law enforcement agencies.

Global War on Crypto-Related Crime

Although it lost its license in Estonia for non-compliance with anti-money laundering regulations, Garantex continued to function. The Estonian Financial Intelligence Unit had linked the exchange to illegal activities and found critical compliance failures. This led to its removal from Estonia’s approved service providers list in February 2022.

Moreover, it’s involvement in the laundering of over $100 million has raised concerns within the global financial community. The U.S Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on the exchange in 2022 for its role in darknet transactions. These actions and the recent law enforcement crackdown, highlight the ongoing international efforts to combat crypto-related crime.