On September 26, OFAC added the cryptocurrency exchange PM2BTC, the Cryptex exchange, and their alleged administrator, Russian citizen Sergei Ivanov, to the sanctions list.

According to the agency, both services are associated with laundering money received from ransomware operators and other cybercriminals.

FinCEN found that nearly half of the transactions processed by PM2BTC were related to illegal activity. The service anonymously exchanged cryptocurrencies for rubles using financial institutions under US sanctions and did not comply with AML/KYC standards.

In particular, from February 5, 2018 to February 2, 2021, Trickbot botnet operators and partners carried out transfers through PM2BTC in the amount of at least $4.2 million.

Law enforcement officers also tracked transactions related to:

darknet marketplaces Hydra ($41,361), Ferum Shop ($3.45 million) and other illegal online markets ($600,000);

Garantex exchange (about $300,000);

crypto exchange service Bitzlato (outgoing and incoming transfers totaling over $695,000).