US Government Blacklists Slew of Bitcoin and Monero Addresses Linked to Man Accused of Running Darknet Marketplace
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is blacklisting a handful of crypto addresses linked to a man known for allegedly running Nemesis, a now-defunct darknet marketplace.
In a new press release, the OFAC says that it is sanctioning Iranian national Behrouz Parasad and his Bitcoin (BTC) and Monero (XMR) addresses because he is accused of being the sole administrator of the illegal site.
As stated by Acting Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith,
“As the administrator of the Nemesis darknet marketplace, Parsarad sought to build – and continues to try to re-establish – a safe haven to facilitate the production, sale, and shipment of illegal narcotics like fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.
Treasury, in partnership with U.S. law enforcement, will use all available tools to dismantle these darknet marketplaces and hold accountable the individuals who oversee them.”
Nemesis – which the OFAC says partook in nearly $30 million worth of drug sales between 2021 and 2024 – was shut down last year after an international law enforcement operation.
The sanction means that all property and interest in property in the US belonging to Parasad will be reported to the OFAC and subsequently blocked. Furthermore, the sanctioned person will be denied specific financial services.
According to a recent memo from the OFAC, 49 Bitcoin and Monero addresses were sanctioned by the government.
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