Cryptocurrency service Helix has laundered more than $ 300 million over a four-year period, including through the deep web.
An Ohio resident was arrested and charged with his alleged role in Operation Helix, a darknet-based bitcoin laundering service.
According to the US Department of Justice, 36-year-old Larry Harmon from Akron was charged on February 11 with conspiracy to launder money, running an unlicensed money transfer business, and making money transfers without a license.
The indictment says Harmon ran Helix from 2014 to 2017.
As with other cryptocurrency toggle switches, the deep web service allowed customers to send bitcoins to recipients for a fee in such a way as to hide it as a source.
Multi-million dollar operation
As stated in a Justice Department press release this week, the three-count indictment alleges that Helix moved more than 350,000 BTC – worth more than $ 300 million at the time of the transaction – on behalf of its clients.
“Helix allegedly laundered hundreds of millions of dollars in illegal drug and other criminal proceeds for deep web users around the world,” said Brian Benchkowski, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
Helix is partnering with AlphaBay to provide bitcoin laundering services to customers of what was one of the largest operating darknet marketplaces until it was seized by law enforcement in July 2017, authorities said.
Helix has been linked to the deep web search engine Grams, also allegedly operated by Harmon, according to the Justice Department.