The U.S. Justice Department authorized the seizure of more than $2.8 million in cryptocurrency, cash, and other assets from a suspected ransomware operator, according to an Aug. 14 announcement.

Federal prosecutors unsealed six warrants tied to Ianis Aleksandrovich Antropenko, charging him with conspiring to commit computer fraud and abuse, committing computer fraud and abuse, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

In addition to the crypto, authorities also seized $70,000 in cash and a luxury vehicle. The digital assets seized in the raid are expected to be added to the government’s growing crypto reserve.

According to the Justice Department, the assets were linked to ransomware proceeds and laundered through methods including the now-defunct mixing service ChipMixer, which was dismantled in an international operation in 2023.

Officials said Antropenko also converted crypto to cash and made structured deposits to avoid detection.

Part of expanding federal stockpile

The case marks the latest government action involving crypto that could be directed into the U.S. national crypto reserve, created by an executive order enacted by President Donald Trump in March.

Earlier this week, the Justice Department announced the seizure of roughly $1 million from the ransomware group BlackSuit and moved to claim $2.4 million in Bitcoin (BTC) seized by the FBI in Dallas in April.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently revealed that the government’s Bitcoin holdings, acquired through criminal asset forfeitures after victim restitution, totaled about $20 billion.

Bessent drew attention earlier in the week after saying the government would not be buying additional Bitcoin for the reserve. He later backtracked and clarified that the Treasury will continue to seek “budget-neutral” ways to expand its holdings.

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According to a July 15 press release by the Department of Justice, this confiscation is part of a nationwide investigation that began in January 2025.

Since then, authorities have taken 44 million fentanyl pills, 4,500 pounds of fentanyl powder, nearly 65,000 pounds of methamphetamine, and over 201,500 pounds of cocaine off the streets.

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Acting DEA Administrator Robert Murphy said:

DEA is hitting the cartels where it hurts, with arrests, with seizures, and with relentless pressure. “We are dismantling these networks piece by piece, and we won’t stop until the last brick of their empire falls.

The Sinaloa cartel is one of six Mexican organizations the US has labeled as a global terrorist group. It is involved in trafficking cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, fentanyl, cannabis, and MDMA.

Recent raids highlight the scale and creativity of the cartel’s smuggling operations, according to the press release.

In Georgia, authorities discovered over 700 pounds of meth hidden in a shipment of cucumbers. In Texas, officers found 1,700 pounds of meth, valued at around $15 million, concealed inside a vehicle.

Meanwhile, the Global Investigative Operations Center (GIOC), a division of the US Secret Service, has recovered nearly $400 million in cryptocurrency over the past ten years. How? Read the full story.

The man, identified as Edison from Muvattupuzha, was arrested on July 1 after months of surveillance. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) carried out the arrest under a plan called “MELON”.

Officers found more than 1,100 LSD blotters, over 130 grams of ketamine, and cryptocurrency worth around ₹70 lakh (about $82,000).

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Edison is accused of running the network for nearly two years under the name “Ketamelon”.

According to officials, he ordered drugs from overseas suppliers, including a UK-based seller called “Gunga Din“, one of the largest lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) providers globally.

He then mailed packages to buyers in major cities such as Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, and areas in Himachal Pradesh. Records suggested that he sent more than 600 shipments while keeping his identity hidden.

Reports stated that Edison moved his earnings through Monero
XMR


$320.12

The investigation took four months. Officers tracked shipments, monitored online forums, and followed cryptocurrency trails before linking the orders back to Edison’s home.

Officials stated that while Kerala usually sees under 1,000 LSD blotters seized in a whole year, Edison alone was allegedly selling close to 10,000 each month.

Recently, five suspects were arrested in Spain for a crypto fraud scheme that stole nearly $540 million from over 5,000 victims. How did the case unfold? Read the full story.

The Portuguese-language media outlet Livecoins reported that officers served multiple warrants in several cities in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.

Police think that the gang’s ringleaders are all prisoners, and that the entire racket was orchestrated from Brazilian jails.

Protection Racket: Suspects ‘Used Crypto to Launder Funds’

The raids come as part of a wider crackdown named Operation Timeo. The state’s Polícia Civil (PCRS) officers have said they seized tokens from crypto wallets and blocked suspects’ bank accounts.

The PCRS said that the suspects launched a fraud network to blackmail the owners of small automobile trading garages.

Officers added that the suspects also operated a “money laundering scheme.” This scheme reportedly used crypto to process the money they made from their fraud operations.

The PCRS added that one suspect has also been charged with carrying a firearm without a permit.

Suspects ‘Targeted Auto Traders in Several Cities’

A police spokesperson confirmed that officers had seized coins from multiple wallets in “several cities.”

The PCRS probe saw a total of 60 agents execute 11 search and seizure warrants against suspects in the cities of Porto Alegre, Novo Hamburgo, São Leopoldo, Portão, Cachoeirinha, and Imbé.

The São Leopoldo organized crime-fighting department orchestrated the operation. The PCRS said it also froze a total of 13.3 million reais ($2.3 million) in bank accounts belonging to 11 suspects.

The police did not disclose the methods they used to seize the crypto. Nor did they reveal the type of coins the suspects used.

Officers think that the gang targeted auto garage owners in Estância Velha, Novo Hamburgo, Ivoti, Sapiranga, and Portão.

The garages in question were owned by individuals who trade and repair second-hand vehicles.

The ringleaders allegedly sent individuals to order the business owners to hand over money “to avoid attacks on their businesses.”

Operation Timeo: Ongoing Investigation

Officers said they were investigating 10 suspects and one company. All of these parties, police said, “have links to inmates who had already been preventively arrested” during previous phases of Operation Timeo.

Investigations are ongoing, the PCRS said. A spokesperson said further investigations “may reveal a broader criminal network” involving extortion and money laundering.

Police think the group and other criminals are using crypto and shell companies to launder millions of USD worth of funds extorted from law-abiding citizens in protection racket schemes.

Earlier this month, the nation’s Superior Court granted judges the authority to seize crypto holdings from individuals in cases involving financial defaults.

The post Brazilian Police Seize $45,000 Worth of Crypto in ‘Protection Racket’ Raid appeared first on Cryptonews.

South Korean prosecutors raided the headquarters of crypto exchange Bithumb on March 19 as part of an investigation into whether the company’s former CEO misused corporate funds to purchase an apartment, according to local media reports.

Authorities from the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office searched Bithumb’s Yeoksam-dong offices, looking into claims that the exchange provided a 3 billion won ($2.3 million) lease deposit to its former CEO and current advisor, Kim Dae-sik.

Investigators suspect that Kim used a portion of these funds to acquire a personal residence in Seoul’s Seongsu-dong district.

The timing of the investigation raises fresh concerns for Bithumb, which has been working toward a long-awaited initial public offering (IPO).

CEO Lee Jae-won recently reaffirmed the company’s intent to list on the stock market in 2025 and has made structural changes to minimize legal risks tied to key shareholders.

Funds repaid

The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), South Korea’s financial regulator, previously examined the case before transferring it to prosecutors.

Following the investigation, a Bithumb spokesperson acknowledged in an interview with The Chosun Daily that Kim had taken a loan from an external lender after the FSS investigation and later repaid the funds.

Despite the repayment, prosecutors are reviewing whether the original transaction violated financial regulations or corporate governance rules. The case has intensified scrutiny over Bithumb’s internal financial management as authorities continue to monitor the country’s crypto sector for potential misconduct.

It has also raised concerns about broader governance and financial practices within the exchange, which has faced repeated legal and regulatory scrutiny in recent years.

Listing allegations

The raid comes amid separate allegations that Bithumb and rival exchange Upbit facilitated token listings through intermediaries who allegedly charged projects hefty fees.

Researcher Wu Blockchain reported that some projects paid between $2 million and $10 million to secure listings on the exchanges. The allegations also suggest that certain intermediaries had ties to Upbit shareholders and market makers, with fees ranging from 3% to 5% of token supplies.

Upbit has denied the claims and demanded that Wu Blockchain provide a list of projects that allegedly paid brokerage fees, calling for evidence to support the accusations.

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