Garantex Exchange Administrator Detained in India
US intelligence agencies have succeeded in arresting one of the operators of a scandalous crypto exchange. The Lithuanian citizen was detained during a family vacation in Delhi.
The international hunt for the management of the Garantex crypto exchange has yielded its first results. On March 11, Indian law enforcement agencies arrested Alexey Beshchekov, one of the alleged administrators of the cryptocurrency platform that fell under American sanctions. This was reported by RBC, citing informed sources, as well as a post by cybersecurity specialist Brian Krebs. The arrest took place at the request of the American authorities.
Security services tracked Beshchekov down while he was on holiday in India. He is currently in custody in Delhi, awaiting a decision on extradition to the US. The arrest was made possible by coordination between law enforcement agencies in several countries, including Russia.
What is Beshchekov accused of?
The American authorities accuse the management of Garantex of a number of serious violations. In February, a Virginia court brought charges against Beshchekov and his alleged partner, Alexander Mira Serda, who lives in the UAE.
The investigation believes that the heads of the Moscow crypto exchange:
- • Organized a money laundering scheme;
- • Deliberately circumvented sanctions restrictions;
- • Conducted financial business without the necessary permits.
Exchange reaction
Garantex representatives called the events political persecution. According to them, the platform has always contributed to the investigation of crimes and helped return stolen funds to their rightful owners.
“Criminals around the world were found and arrested with the support of Garantex. Assets were returned to victims thanks to the proactive actions of Garantex compliance,” the exchange representatives noted (quoted by RBC).
Russian law enforcement agencies claim that they have no complaints about the platform, as it complies with all requirements for combating financial crimes.
New stage of investigation
Beshchekov's arrest is part of a large-scale operation against Garantex. A week earlier, on March 7, law enforcement agencies in the US, Germany and Finland froze the exchange's operations. Until that moment, the search for the platform's managers had been conducted secretly.
Experts note that this is the first time that a top manager of a major crypto exchange in India has been detained at the request of the United States. The situation could set a precedent for similar operations in the future.
In addition, last week, the issuer of the stablecoin Tether froze assets in the crypto exchange wallets worth 2.5 billion rubles. A special article told about whether Russians should get rid of Tether (USDT) against the background of the Garantex blocking.
Источник: cryptocurrency.tech
