U.S. authorities arrested two Jacksonville brothers after tracing cryptocurrency payments tied to an alleged darknet drug operation, according to blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis.
Investigators used blockchain records to identify a vendor known as “BarbaraWhite,” who allegedly sold hundreds of thousands of nitazene pills through darknet markets.
Blockchain Trail Links Vendor to Operation
BarbaraWhite operated on darknet markets including Nemesis, Bohemia and Abacus, according to investigators. Authorities traced Bitcoin transactions linking market proceeds to the operation’s suppliers.
Investigators identified wallets linked to BarbaraWhite during a separate probe. The wallets received about $220,000 from darknet markets and later moved roughly $230,000 in cryptocurrency. About $7,210 went to a China-based chemical supplier that authorities allege provided substances used to produce nitazenes.
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Investigators also traced payments to postage services and connected the wallets to a mobile payment account belonging to Stanislav Chernyshov.
Investigators Combine Crypto and Other Evidence
The Justice Department announced the arrests on Aug. 28, charging both brothers with conspiracy.
Authorities said BarbaraWhite operated the darknet business since 2020 and linked the operation to 12 overdoses, including three deaths.
Investigators also reviewed postal records, conducted surveillance and made undercover purchases before connecting the online operation to the two brothers.
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