$BTC Garantex exchange administrator Aleksej Besciokov has been arrested in India at the request of the U.S., facing charges of money laundering, sanctions violations, and operating without a license. The exchange has been dealing with a series of serious issues:

🟠February 24 – The EU added Garantex to its sanctions list over ties to Russian banks

🟠March 6 – Tether froze approximately $27m (2.5bn rubles) in exchange wallets, halting operations

🟠March 7 – The U.S. Department of Justice, along with German and Finnish authorities, seized Garantex’s domains and servers, freezing $28m

🟠March 10 – Garantex announced compensation for blocked funds, offering in-person meetings for Moscow-based clients and a "secure remote solution" for others

🟠March 12 – Aleksej Besciokov was arrested in India