Summary: A coalition of international law enforcement agencies has seized the Garantex cryptocurrency exchange website, following its prior sanctions by the U.S. Treasury Department for facilitating illicit transactions. The operation involved several major law enforcement organizations, including the FBI and Europol, highlighting ongoing efforts against fraudulent crypto activities. Garantex announced the suspension of its services due to wallet blocks imposed by Tether in response to the sanctions.
Affected: Garantex cryptocurrency exchange
Keypoints :
- Garantex was sanctioned in April 2022 for facilitating transactions for darknet markets and illicit actors.
- The U.S. Secret Service seized the domain under the authority of a seizure warrant.
- Garantex announced a temporary suspension of services due to Tether blocking its wallets worth over 2.5 billion rubles.
- The exchange faces additional sanctions from the European Union for ties with sanctioned Russian banks.
Source: https://thehackernews.com/2025/03/us-secret-service-seizes-russian.html