US sanctions crypto addresses linked to Nemesis darknet marketplace

US authorities person sanctioned the relation of a shuttered online darknet marketplace, including his crypto addresses, which precocious profited from Bitcoin terms fluctuations. 

Iran-based Behrouz Parsarad established the darknet marketplace Nemesis successful 2021 and utilized it to facilitate the merchantability of drugs, mendacious recognition documents, professional hacking resources, and a assortment of different illicit services for cybercriminals, the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said successful a March 4 statement. 

Under the sanctions, US citizens are present blocked from dealing with Parsarad and immoderate companies wherever helium owns much than a 50% stake. 

A US, German-Lithuanian instrumentality enforcement cognition unopen down Nemesis successful 2024. Source: Chainalysis

Blockchain analytics steadfast Chainalysis said the sanctioned spot includes 44 Bitcoin (BTC) addresses and 5 Monero (XMR) addresses, which, betwixt July 2022 and March 2024, received much than $850,000. 

The full magnitude of cryptocurrency sent by Parsarad exceeds $1.6 million, which Chainalysis attributed to terms appreciation.

Most of Parsarad’s transaction measurement is with Nemesis, but helium besides sent implicit $12,000 to respective different darknet marketplaces, specified arsenic ASAP Market, Incognito Market and Next Generation, and had “indirect vulnerability to mixers,” according to the blockchain analytics firm. 

Parsarad interacted onchain with aggregate different darknet marketplaces. Source: Chainalysis

OFAC says that earlier a US German-Lithuanian instrumentality enforcement cognition confiscated its servers successful March 2024, the marketplace had 30,000 progressive users and 1,000 vendors and was designed with built-in wealth laundering features. 

“In summation to providing criminals with a level to behaviour transactions, Parsarad laundered virtual currencies for narcotics traffickers and cybercriminals progressive connected Nemesis,” OFAC said. 

The authorities bureau estimates Parsarad pocketed “millions of dollars implicit the people of the marketplace’s existence.” 

Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith said Parsarad besides “continues to effort to re-establish” the operation. 

Darknet marketplaces inactive booming contempt enforcement actions 

Darknet marketplaces generated implicit $1.7 cardinal successful gross successful 2024, lone a slight summation from the previous year, according to blockchain quality steadfast TRM Labs 2025 Crypto Crime Report.

TRM Labs said Russian-language darknet markets continued to predominate the ecosystem, chiefly owed to Russian authorities’ “low hazard of enforcement action.” 

Related: Russia sentences Hydra marketplace laminitis to beingness successful prison

At the aforesaid time, Western darknet marketplaces struggled nether accrued enforcement and operational instability. In a March 4 blog post, TRM Labs said that successful aboriginal 2024, respective major exit scams occurred successful the Western darknet marketplace scene. 

“Bohemia Market and Cannabia Market disappeared successful January nether suspicious circumstances, aboriginal revealed by Dutch authorities to beryllium portion of an ongoing investigation,” TRM Labs said. 

In March, Incognito Market collapsed pursuing a imaginable exit scam. TRM Labs says its administrator, known arsenic “Pharoah,” attempted to extort users earlier shutting down the marketplace. 

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