In a most curious turn of events, the Indian constabulary has apprehended the illustrious Litva Aleksej Besciokov, co-founder of the Garantex crypto exchange, all at the behest of our friends across the ocean in the United States.
It appears that Mr. Besciokov has found himself in a rather sticky situation, facing charges of criminality for his alleged role in the nefarious art of money laundering via the digital bazaar of cryptocurrency.
Extradition: The New Travel Trend
As reported by the ever-watchful TechCrunch, the arrest took place in the picturesque state of Kerala, where the palm trees sway and the extradition laws are as firm as a well-brewed cup of chai. The US, in its infinite wisdom, requested this arrest following an indictment that was announced with much fanfare by the Department of Justice on the seventh day of March.
The DOJ, in a fit of righteous indignation, has accused Mr. Besciokov and his partner in crime, Aleksandr Mira Serda, of flouting US sanctions. They have painted a rather grim picture of Garantex as a haven for money laundering and an unlicensed money transfer operation. The US is now keen on whisking Mr. Besciokov away to the Eastern District of Virginia for a trial that promises to be as riveting as a Dostoevsky novel.
In a coordinated effort that would make even the most seasoned spy envious, the US Secret Service, alongside their German and Finnish counterparts, executed a seizure of three Garantex domains (Garantex.org, Garantex.io, Garantex.academy) and their associated servers on the sixth of March. They also managed to freeze a staggering $28 million in cryptocurrency belonging to the exchange. Talk about a digital heist!
The indictment from the DOJ alleges that Mr. Besciokov was the chief technical wizard of Garantex, tasked with the noble duty of maintaining its infrastructure and approving transactions. Authorities have accused him of turning a blind eye to transactions linked to hackers with ties to the North Korean government, including the infamous Lazarus Group, who are apparently as skilled at hacking as they are at throwing parties.
Garantex, a cryptocurrency exchange hailing from the land of Russia, has been under the watchful eye of US and EU sanctions since 2022, accused of facilitating money laundering for a veritable smorgasbord of transnational criminal organizations. This includes, but is not limited to, terrorist groups, ransomware hackers, and those charming drug traffickers.
According to the DOJ, between the years of 2019 and 2025, Garantex processed a jaw-dropping $96 billion in cryptocurrency transactions, with hundreds of millions of dollars allegedly tied to illicit funds. One can only imagine the parties they must have thrown!
On the tenth of March, 2025, Garantex extended an invitation to its clients for an in-person meeting in Moscow, presumably to discuss how to navigate the stormy seas of consequence. However, as of now, there are no clear signs that the exchange has resumed its normal operations. Perhaps they are still trying to figure out how to turn back time?
Garantex is not alone in this tumultuous saga; at least four other cryptocurrency exchanges, including the infamous FTX, BTC-e, GCG Asia/GCFX, and Thodex, have also found their founders in a similar predicament. It seems that the crypto world is not just a digital playground, but a veritable soap opera of arrests and intrigue!
Read More
- BONE PREDICTION. BONE cryptocurrency
- CAKE PREDICTION. CAKE cryptocurrency
- ARPA PREDICTION. ARPA cryptocurrency
- USD RUB PREDICTION
- POL PREDICTION. POL cryptocurrency
- USD MXN PREDICTION
- JTO PREDICTION. JTO cryptocurrency
- ATH PREDICTION. ATH cryptocurrency
- EUR AUD PREDICTION
- EUR UAH PREDICTION
2025-03-13 11:10