FBI traces Bitcoin to alleged darknet opioid ring

Federal authorities charged two Jacksonville brothers with allegedly operating a darknet narcotics vendor whose counterfeit pills were connected to at least 12 overdoses, including three deaths. Summary U.S. prosecutors charged two Florida brothers with allegedly distributing nitazene-laced counterfeit pills through darknet markets. Investigators traced Bitcoin withdrawals from three darknet marketplaces toward accounts associated with Stanislav Chernyshov allegedly. Target wallets received approximately $220,000 and sent $230,000, according to the FBI affidavit reviewed publicly. BarbaraWhite shipments were linked to twelve overdoses, including three deaths, Chainalysis reported from records reviewed. Both defendants face at least twenty years imprisonment if convicted under federal law, prosecutors said. Vladislav Chernyshov, 35, and Stanislav Chernyshov, 30, were arrested on Aug. 28 on charges of conspiring to distribute nitazenes. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced the case on Sept. 2. An FBI affidavit alleges that the brothers operated under the vendor name “BarbaraWhite.” Investigators used blockchain analysis alongside postal records, u...