Indian police have arrested Aleksej Besciokov, co-founder of the Garantex crypto exchange, following a US request. The arrest took place in Kerala under India’s extradition laws.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) indicted Besciokov and his co-founder, Aleksandr Mira Serda, on March 7. Authorities accuse them of violating US sanctions, running an unlicensed money transfer business, and laundering money through the exchange. The US is now seeking Besciokov’s extradition to Virginia for trial.
In a coordinated move, the US Secret Service, along with Germany and Finland, seized three Garantex domains and froze $28 million in cryptocurrency. Authorities claim Besciokov, as Garantex’s technical administrator, knowingly processed transactions linked to cybercriminals, including North Korea’s Lazarus Group.
Garantex, a Russian cryptocurrency exchange, has been under US and EU sanctions since 2022. It is accused of handling illicit funds tied to hackers, drug traffickers, and other criminals. The DOJ estimates the exchange processed at least $96 billion in transactions, including hundreds of millions linked to illegal activities.
On March 10, Garantex invited clients to a meeting in Moscow, but its future remains uncertain. The exchange has not resumed normal operations.
Besciokov’s arrest is part of a broader crackdown on crypto exchanges. Several founders, including those of FTX, BTC-e, and Thodex, have also faced legal action.
