https://www.thenewsminute.com/kerala/kerala-police-arrest-lithuanian-national-wanted-by-us-for-crypto-money-laundering

The Kerala police, along with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), on Tuesday, March 11, arrested Aleksej Besciokov, a Lithuanian national who was wanted by US authorities for money laundering through a cryptocurrency exchange. The 46-year-old Besciokov was arrested in Varkala, Thiruvananthapuram. While it is unclear why he was in India, police suspect that he was planning to leave the country soon.

Besciokov is alleged to have set up a cryptocurrency exchange, Garantex, allegedly to launder the proceeds of criminal activity,  amounting to billions of dollars in illicit funds. The money was linked to the sale of drugs, ransomware and computer hacking.

According to the CBI’s statement, a request was submitted by the US to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, which, acting under the Extradition Act, 1962, got a provisional arrest warrant issued against Besciokov from ACJM Patiala House Court in Delhi. The CBI then coordinated with the Kerala Police for the arrest of the fugitive criminal.

A press release from the US Department of Justice said, “Garantex received hundreds of millions in criminal proceeds and was used to facilitate various crimes, including hacking, ransomware, terrorism and drug trafficking, often with substantial impact to US victims.”

Besciokov and another individual, a Russian, Aleksandr Mira Serdav, are charged with money laundering conspiracy, and Besciokov is charged with conspiracy to violate sanctions and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business.

According to the indictment by the Department of Justice, Besciokov and Mira Serda knew that criminal proceeds were being laundered through Garantex and took steps to conceal the facilitation of illegal activities on its platform.

From 2019 to 2025, Besciokov controlled and operated Garantex, which facilitated money laundering to the tune of at least USD 96 billion in cryptocurrency transactions by transnational criminal organisations (including terrorist organisations) and violated sanctions, the indictment said.

Besciokov is also charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and with conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business, which carries a minimum of five years in prison.

Officials said that Besciokov was Garantex’s primary technical administrator and was responsible for obtaining and maintaining the critical infrastructure of the platform as well as reviewing and approving transactions.

He will be produced before the Patiala House Court by the Kerala Police shortly.