One of the biggest scale operations performed so far by the United States has been hailed as a huge success, but represents just the beginning on a long battle ahead. The figures of fentanyl related drug deaths in the US are rising substantially and federal agencies are pinning the spread of this drug down to the darknet and the use of anonymous virtual currencies.
U.S. Secret Service Assistant Director Jenkins reaffirmed that the organisation will continue to crack down hard on the growing problem of illegal drug trafficking and money laundering facilitated by cryptocurrencies.
“The Secret Service is proud to work with our law enforcement partners to help combat one of the largest threats to the U.S. financial infrastructure, money laundering with virtual currency,”
Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein also responded in kind with,
“Criminals who think that they are safe on the Darknet are wrong,... We can expose their networks, and we are determined to bring them to justice. Today, we arrested more than 35 alleged Darknet vendors. We seized their weapons, their drugs, and $23.6 million of their ill-gotten gains.”
Working undercover as money launderers on the Darknet exchanging US dollars for cryptocurrencies, special agents from Homeland Security were able to gather intelligence on over 65 potential targets, with the help of 40 U.S Attorney's offices.
Among the many items seized during these raids, officers were able to confiscate more than 100 firearms, $3.6 million in US currency and gold bullion, along with 2,000 Bitcoins ($12 million worth at current market value) deemed to have been received in exchange for illegal drugs, weapons and fiat currencies. It has also been reported that Bitcoin mining rigs were also seized during these arrests.
This article appeared first on Cryptovest
