Arrest of Garantex Operator in India
In a significant development, one of the key operators of the sanctioned Russian cryptocurrency exchange Garantex was apprehended in India on Tuesday. Reports from TechCrunch and KrebsOnSecurity indicate that Aleksej Besciokov, a 46-year-old Lithuanian national residing in Russia, was arrested by local authorities in Kerala while enjoying a vacation with his family on the picturesque southern coast of the country.
This arrest follows a recent coordinated effort by international law enforcement agencies from the United States, Germany, and Finland, which led to the seizure of Garantex’s domains and servers. Moreover, nearly $28 million in cryptocurrency associated with the exchange was frozen, aided by the stablecoin issuer Tether. Garantex had previously been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in 2022 due to its alleged involvement in facilitating money laundering for various cybercriminal organizations, including notorious ransomware groups like Conti and Black Basta, as well as darknet markets such as Hydra, which was the largest of its kind before its shutdown in 2022.
In addition to its role in money laundering activities, Garantex is also accused of aiding sanctions evasion. The exchange has reportedly been linked to upscale sanctions evasion services, such as the TGR Group, which primarily serve Russian oligarchs. This multifaceted involvement highlights the exchange’s significant role in the broader landscape of cryptocurrency-related crime.
Further complicating matters, U.S. prosecutors have charged Besciokov and another Garantex operator, 40-year-old Aleksandr Mira Serda, who resides in the United Arab Emirates, with conspiracy to commit money laundering. Besciokov has been placed on the U.S. Secret Service’s Most Wanted list, underscoring the seriousness of the charges against him.
As of now, neither the Kerala police nor the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has responded to requests for comments regarding Besciokov’s reported arrest, leaving many questions unanswered about the implications of this event for international cryptocurrency regulation and enforcement.
