Russian police shut down 5 crypto exchanges tied to a darknet drug market

Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs has dismantled five unnamed cryptocurrency exchanges that it says laundered proceeds for a darknet drug marketplace, which was also shut down along with a related forum. Ministry spokesperson Irina Volk said police secured information on more than 185,000 exchange transactions and that the platforms converted criminally obtained cryptocurrency into fiat, or government-issued, currency. Five people described as forum moderators have been detained since August 2025 and charged with organizing a criminal community; they remain in custody. Computers, documents, cash and cryptocurrency were seized. The operation comes as Russia implements a new crypto licensing law and cracks down on illegal trading; in August, the Federal Security Service detained 20 exchange employees in Moscow City.