An international coalition of law enforcement agencies seized the official website of Garantex, which has previously been sanctioned by the U.S. and E.U. governments.

The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) sanctioned Garantex in 2022, accusing the exchange of knowingly facilitating money laundering for ransomware actors, including Conti and Black Basta, and darknet markets like Hydra, which, before its 2022 shut down, was once the largest darknet market in the world.

Law enforcement agencies from across the world have come together to shut down infamous Russian cryptocurrency exchange Garantex, which was popular amongst cybercriminals, especially ransomware gangs, who often use cryptocurrency to launder money gained in ransom attacks.