Bitzlato was seized by Europol earlier this year amid a U.S. crackdown for facilitating money laundering, but it has now reopened its withdrawals for its users.
Europol has announced a joint operation between German and U.S. authorities to take down ChipMixer, which authorities allege has been used to launder EUR 2.73 billion in digital assets.
Europol worked with the U.S., Spain, Portugal, and others to crack down on Bitzlato even as Reuters revealed that Binance processed over $346 million for the exchange.
The raid resulted in the seizure of $1 million worth of digital assets, luxury apartments, and three cars, with over 250 suspects interviewed by police.
The three are the first to stand trial in Europe over the $4 billion digital asset pyramid scheme, as reports claim Ruja was tipped off before she vanished.
German authorities are investigating OneCoin founder Ruja Ignatova’s husband Bjorn Strehl with reports of raids in Frankfurt and several other cities, according to reports.
Europol, in partnership with Spanish and Catalan police, detained the suspects as part of a coordinated raid on an Andorran investment training firm.
The alleged scammers are reported to be part of QQAAZZ, reportedly involved in extensive money laundering efforts through BTC and other cryptocurrencies.
Privacy-enhanced wallet services using coinjoin concepts have emerged as a top threat besides well-established centralized mixers, according to the IOCTA report.
Blockchain analysis tools revealed the highest percentage of Wasabi Wallet transactions ended at darknet markets, followed by exchanges.
Authorities in Belgium, France and Israel have arrested ten people accused of orchestrating a cryptocurrency pyramid scheme that cost investors $6.6 million.
Europol is now using a game to help train its law enforcement officers to hunt down crypto crimes.
