FBI Closes Darknet Nitazene Operation with Cryptocurrency Trail
US authorities have made significant progress in cracking down on darknet market vendors by following cryptocurrency transactions. The latest case involves two Jacksonville brothers, arrested for their alleged involvement in a nitazene operation.
Nitazenes are potent opioids that can be more dangerous than fentanyl. An investigation led by the FBI used blockchain records to identify 'BarbaraWhite', a vendor who sold hundreds of thousands of nitazene pills through darknet markets like Nemesis, Bohemia, and Abacus.
Chainalysis, a blockchain analytics firm, helped investigators trace Bitcoin transactions linking market proceeds to the operation's suppliers. The wallets linked to BarbaraWhite received approximately $220,000 from darknet markets and later moved roughly $230,000 in cryptocurrency.
A significant portion of this money, about $7,210, went to a China-based chemical supplier that authorities believe provided substances used to produce nitazenes. Investigators also connected the wallets to a mobile payment account belonging to Stanislav Chernyshov.
The Justice Department announced the arrests on August 28, charging both brothers with conspiracy. BarbaraWhite allegedly operated the darknet business since 2020 and linked the operation to 12 overdoses, including three deaths.