{"id":126388,"date":"2025-04-03T12:15:36","date_gmt":"2025-04-03T12:15:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cryptospotters.net\/?p=126388"},"modified":"2025-04-03T12:15:36","modified_gmt":"2025-04-03T12:15:36","slug":"us-sanctions-8-crypto-wallets-tied-to-garantex-exchange-and-yemeni-houthis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/cryptospotters.net\/?p=126388","title":{"rendered":"US sanctions 8 crypto wallets tied to Garantex exchange and Yemeni Houthis"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Source: Cointelegraph.com NewsThe US Treasury Department sanctioned eight cryptocurrency wallet addresses linked to Russian crypto exchange Garantex and the Yemeni political and military organization the Houthis.<br \/>\nThe United States Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned eight crypto addresses that data from blockchain forensic firms Chainalysis and TRM Labs had linked to the organizations. Two are deposit addresses at major crypto platforms, while the other six are privately controlled.<br \/>\nVisualization of transaction flow related to OFAC sanctions. Source: ChainalysisThe addresses in question reportedly moved nearly $1 billion worth of funds linked to sanctioned entities. Most of the transactions funded Houthi operations in Yemen and the Red Sea region.<br \/>\nSlava Demchuk, a crypto-focused money laundering specialist and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime consultant told Cointelegraph that \u201cthe inclusion of Houthi-linked wallets reflects a broader recognition of crypto\u2019s role in geopolitical conflicts and terrorism financing.\u201d He added:<br \/>\n\u201cThe implications are far-reaching \u2014 compliance frameworks must adapt swiftly, attribution efforts will intensify, and decentralized platforms may face increased scrutiny.\u201c<br \/>\nDemchuk highlighted that the situation reshapes the regulatory landscape. According to him, crypto \u201cis now firmly within the scope of international security.<br \/>\nWho are the Houthis?<br \/>\nThe Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, are a Yemeni political and armed movement that emerged from the Zaidi Shia community. Originating as a revivalist and reformist group, they later became a major force in Yemen\u2019s ongoing conflict.<br \/>\nRelated: US DOJ says it seized Hamas crypto meant to finance terrorism<br \/>\nIn recent years, the Houthis have engaged in attacks against both military and civilian vessels in the Red Sea with missiles and drones. In January, US President Donald Trump designated the group as a foreign terrorist organization.<br \/>\nThe announcement noted that \u201cthe Houthis\u2019 activities threaten the security of American civilians and personnel in the Middle East, the safety of our closest regional partners, and the stability of global maritime trade.\u201d The group was recently struck by a US bombing campaign.<br \/>\nRelated: Binance claims\u2019 no special relationship\u2019 with Hamas, argues to dismiss lawsuit<br \/>\nGarantex: Russia\u2019s crypto laundromat<br \/>\nGarantex is a Russian crypto exchange that was sanctioned and shut down in early March after purportedly helping money-laundering efforts. At the time, Tether \u2014 the leading stablecoin operator and issuer of USDt \u2014 froze $27 million in USDt on the platform, forcing it to halt operations.<br \/>\nThe platform has reportedly shifted millions of dollars as it sought to reboot under its new brand, \u201cGrinex.\u201d<br \/>\nIn mid-March, officials with India\u2019s Central Bureau of Investigation announced the arrest of Lithuanian national Aleksej Be\u0161ciokov, who was alleged to have operated the cryptocurrency exchange Garantex.<br \/>\nThe arrest of the alleged Garantex founder was based on US charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business and conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.<br \/>\nMagazine: Financial nihilism in crypto is over \u2014 It\u2019s time to dream big again<a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/news\/us-sanctions-crypto-wallets-garantex-houthis?utm_source=rss_feed&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"feedzy-rss-link-icon\" rel=\"noopener\">Read More<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Source: Cointelegraph.com NewsThe US Treasury Department sanctioned eight cryptocurrency wallet addresses linked to Russian crypto exchange Garantex and the Yemeni political and military organization the Houthis. The United States Office&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/cryptospotters.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126388"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/cryptospotters.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/cryptospotters.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/cryptospotters.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=126388"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/cryptospotters.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126388\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/cryptospotters.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=126388"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/cryptospotters.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=126388"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/cryptospotters.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=126388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}