Russian crypto exchange Garantex seized by law enforcement operation

The U.S. Secret Service, working with a coalition of international law enforcement agencies, has taken down and seized the website of Garantex, a Russian cryptocurrency exchange accused of being associated with darknet markets and ransomware hackers. On Thursday, the official Garantex website was replaced with a notice saying the exchange’s domain has been seized by the Secret Service following a warrant by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. This is the latest action taken by Western governments against the Moscow-based exchange. Last month, the European Union also sanctioned Garantex as, saying it is “closely associated with EU-sanctioned Russian banks.” This was part of a package of sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. In 2022, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned Garantex, alleging that more than $100 million in transactions done on the exchange “are associated with illicit actors and darknet markets,” including the notorious Russian ransom ... Read full article.