Spanish authorities have reportedly apprehended a man accused of colluding with a convicted American cryptocurrency researcher to assist North Korea in bypassing U.S. sanctions.

Pro-Pyongyang group founder arrested

The founder of a pro-Pyongyang group, Alejandro Cao de Benos, was arrested at Madrid’s Atocha train station upon arriving from Barcelona.

The Spanish police reported the apprehension. Cao de Benos is accused of conspiring with a convicted American cryptocurrency researcher, Virgil Griffith, to help North Korea evade U.S. sanctions using cryptocurrency. 

In 2022, Griffith was sentenced to five years and three months in prison by a U.S. court for his involvement in the same conspiracy.

Spanish national police revealed they discovered Cao de Benos in Barcelona under a false identity, intending to board a train to Madrid.

Cao de Benos, denying the accusations, was arrested on Nov. 30 at Atocha station in Barcelona for using a false identity while intending to travel to Madrid. He appeared before a High Court judge on Friday and was released pending extradition.

On Friday, via a post on social media platform X, Cao de Benos refuted the U.S. allegations, labeling them as “false”. 

The legal representatives of Cao de Benos, who may face a 20-year prison term if found guilty, were not immediately identifiable.

The North Korean crypto conspiracy involved actions like money laundering, financing nuclear programs, and evading sanctions. Allegations suggest that North Korean hackers have stolen hundreds of millions of dollars in cryptocurrency to support the regime’s nuclear weapons programs.

North Korea and illicit crypto transactions

As international sanctions increased, North Korea resorted to more sophisticated methods for laundering its pilfered cryptocurrency.

On Feb. 21, Christopher Emms, a 31-year-old British citizen, was Go to Source to See Full Article
Author: Ogwu Osaemezu Emmanuel

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