James Ding
March 8, 2025 02:25
The US Treasury OFAC has sanctioned Iran -based Darknet Marketplace administrators to promote global pentanil sales, emphasizing the extensive use of cryptocurrency in illegal drug transactions.
The US Treasury Foreign Asset Management Bureau (OFAC) has sanctioned Behrouz Parsarad, an administrator of Iran -based NEMESISIS DARKNET Marketplace, to promote the sale of pentanil and other drugs around the world. This designation includes 44 Bitcoin (BTC) addresses and five Monero addresses related to Pasa Rad.
The role of nemesis in the Darknet ecosystem
Founded by Pasarad in 2021, NEMESIS worked as a platform for drug traffickers and cyber criminals, allowing them to sell nearly $ 30 million pentanil and other illegal substances until the server was seized by the US, Germany and Lithuanian authorities in March 2024. The marketplace boasts more than 30,000 active users and 1,000 suppliers to promote the exchange of false identification documents and hacking services as well as drug sales.
Pasarad’s cryptocurrency transaction
Parsarad’s onchain activity shows a significant relationship with other Darknet markets (DNMs), such as the ASAP market and secret market. Between July 2022 and March 2024, his BTC wallet received more than $ 850,000, and the transaction exceeded $ 1.6 million, which strategically used Bitcoin’s price fluctuations. Despite Iran -based Iran, Pasarad’s operation did not show a direct hot chain link to Iran service, and emphasized efforts to hide his activities in countries where drug crimes were seriously punished.
OFAC’s world -class efforts in pentanyl transactions
OFAC’s latest name emphasizes the US authorities’ promises to dismantle the world’s pentanil supply chain, expanding their focus, including the activities of Iran beyond China-Mexico’s corridor. This movement also expresses OFAC’s inauguration as part of the FBI-LED joint crime opioid and the Dark Net Executive Team, and suggests a comprehensive strategy to face illegal chain activities related to local proxy and cyber threats.
Following the NEMESISTAKEDODOWN, Parsarad is known to considering establishing a new DNM while maintaining a connection with the previous supplier. This development reflects continuous difficulties in the spread of Darknet Marketplaces and to suppress the role in global drug trafficking networks.
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