Traces of cryptocurrencies in drug trafficking were found in 23 regions of Russia. Crypto BTC in particular were most commonly used in drug trafficking in 2017

According to a recent report made by Rosfinmonitoring, the Russian Federal Financial Monitoring Service, traces of cryptocurrencies in drug trafficking were found in 23 regions of the country.

Cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, in particular) were most commonly used in drug trafficking across the country in 2017. No use of virtual assets in financial crimes was recorded, the report states. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia and Rosfinmonitoring are conducting an investigation trying to identify cross-border schemes of drug trafficking and legalization of income received from it using electronic payment systems and cryptocurrencies.

“The anonymity of calculations using cryptocurrency ensures the popularity of this method when committing crimes and complicates the investigation process,” the report summarized.