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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An international law enforcement effort has dismantled one of the world’s largest and longest-running criminal marketplaces on the darknet, arresting its suspected German operator in Spain and seizing millions in illicit assets, according to a June 16 press release.

The takedown, coordinated by the Frankfurt Public Prosecutor’s Office, Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), the Spanish National Police, the Dutch National Police, and additional partners in Sweden and Romania, targeted the illicit platform known as “Archetyp Market.”

Infrastructure seized in raid

A 30-year-old German citizen was captured at his residence in Barcelona on June 11 by a Spanish police tactical unit.

Prosecutors allege he operated Archetyp Market with other moderators, enabling large-scale trafficking of drugs including amphetamine, cannabis, fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine.

Investigators estimate the site generated more than €250 million ($267 million) in sales, with around 17,000 active listings, over 612,000 customer accounts, and about 3,200 registered vendors.

Transactions on the website relied exclusively on Monero (XMR), a privacy-focused cryptocurrency favored in darknet trades.

Authorities searched the suspect’s apartment in Barcelona and properties in Hannover, Germany and in Bucharest, Romania. They seized eight mobile phones, four computers, 34 storage devices, and assets totaling about €7.8 million ($8.3 million).

Meanwhile, the Dutch National Police located and disabled the marketplace’s server infrastructure in a data center in the Netherlands, cutting off access worldwide.

Wider arrests

Further raids took place across Germany and Sweden in coordinated actions against moderators and vendors affiliated with the market.

Law enforcement searched 20 additional properties, including sites in North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Hesse, and Baden-Württemberg, and arrested seven suspects in Sweden.

In total, the operation netted 47 smartphones, 45 computers and notebooks, various narcotics, and more illicit proceeds linked to the platform’s activities. The substantial trove of data seized is expected to provide new leads as investigations continue.

The main suspect faces charges of operating a large-scale narcotics trafficking ring under German law, carrying severe penalties if convicted.

The shutdown of Archetyp Market marks another major success in a string of global efforts to curb cybercrime, dismantle darknet infrastructure, and disrupt digital money laundering networks in recent years.

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.

Law enforcement authorities in India reportedly seized crypto assets linked to the BitConnect Ponzi scheme that defrauded hundreds of victims before collapsing in 2018.

Indian Express reports that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seized Rs (Indian Rupee) 1,646 crore or nearly $190 million in crypto assets during its investigation of BitConnect.

The agency, which is in charge of enforcing economic laws and combating financial crimes in India, also seized Rs 1.35 million ($15,550), an SUV and digital devices during searches in the Indian state of Gujarat on February 11th and 15th.

The ED says that from November 2016 to January 2018, the people behind the scheme allegedly amassed funds from investors around the world, including participants located in India. 

BitConnect co-founder Satish Kumbhani allegedly established a network of promoters who received commissions when they enticed investors into depositing cash and Bitcoin (BTC) into the purported lending program. 

The promoters also posted fictitious information on the BitConnect web portal, claiming an average of 1% returns per day or about 3,700% per year. 

The ED says that despite BitConnect’s representation that it could generate up to 40% monthly returns using a proprietary trading bot, the perpetrators of the scheme did not use the invested funds for trading but deposited them into digital wallets that they controlled.

Authorities also say the crypto wallets carried out transactions through the dark web to make them untraceable, but by following on-chain transactions and gathering ground intelligence, the agency identified the wallets and the location of the devices that held the cryptocurrencies.

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