U.S. claims $400 million from Helix, a notorious bitcoin mixer used on the darknet
The U.S. government seized over $400 million in assets linked to the darknet bitcoin mixing service, Helix.Summary
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced it has secured legal title to over $400 million in cryptocurrency, real estate, and cash connected to the darknet bitcoin mixing service, Helix. Mixing services like Helix are used to obscure the origin of crypto transactions, and the DOJ alleged Helix was heavily utilized by drug traffickers for money laundering. Investigators noted Helix processed at least 354,468 bitcoin, valued near $300 million at the time, much of it linked to darknet drug markets. The operator, Larry Dean Harmon, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering in August 2021 and was sentenced in November 2024. Harmon also ran the darknet search engine Grams, and Helix's API allowed marketplaces to integrate the mixer directly into their withdrawal systems.
(Source：CoinDesk)