Garantex Administrator Aleksej Besciokov Arrested by Authorities in India Following US Directive

• One of the two indicted Garantex operators has been arrested by Indian law enforcement.
• Aleksej Besciokov was caught as he was about to flee the country and could now be extradited to the U.S.
• The individual is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and faces several years in prison.

Authorities in India recently arrested Aleksej Besciokov after he and co-conspirator Aleksandr Mira Serda were indicted in the U.S. this week. Both individuals were identified as operators of the Garantex crypto exchange, which was revealed to be facilitating cybercriminal operations.

Besciokov was arrested in Kerala, India, the country's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said according to Reuters. Allegedly, Besciokov was planning to flee India. 

The CBI said that he was wanted by U.S. authorities, and India's Foreign Ministry issued a provisional warrant. A U.S. Justice Department spokesperson confirmed to CNN that Besciokov “was arrested in India at the request of the United States." Besciokov's extradition is expected.

Lithuanian national and Russian resident Aleksej Besciokov, 46, was the primary technical administrator of Garantex, a Moscow-based cryptocurrency exchange accused of links to darknet markets and ransomware operations. 

The individual obtained and maintained critical Garantex infrastructure and reviewed and approved transactions.

Besciokov, also known as “proforg” and “iram,” was charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to violate sanctions, and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmission business, facing a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Last week, an international operation seized Garantex's domains and servers, with assistance from blockchain analytics firm Elliptic and stablecoin issuer Tether. U.S. law enforcement froze approximately $28 million worth of cryptocurrency tied to the exchange. 

In 2022, Garantex was accused of knowingly enabling money laundering for ransomware groups such as Conti and Black Basta and serving as a hub for illicit transactions tied to darknet markets like Hydra.