Spanish authorities have detained Alejandro Cao de Benos, a Spanish aristocrat, over allegations that he ran a crypto scheme and recruited Ethereum (ETH) researcher Virgil Griffith to help North Korea evade international sanctions. 

According to Reuters, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) had previously accused de Benos, founder of a pro-Pyongyang affinity organization, of engaging in illegal activities related to crypto and blockchain technology services for North Korea.

Key Figure In North Korea Crypto Scheme Sentenced To Prison

As reported by Bitcoinist, in 2022, Virgil Griffith was sentenced by a US court to five years and three months in prison for his involvement in conspiring to aid North Korea in evading US sanctions using crypto. It is alleged that de Benos played a pivotal role in recruiting Griffith for these activities.

Responding to the US accusations, de Benos took to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to describe the allegations against him as false. 

de Benos stated that upon his arrival at the AVE station in Puerta de Atocha, Madrid, on Thursday, November 30, 2023, he was approached by national police officers from Pasiano who arrested him based on an FBI arrest warrant issued through Interpol. 

De Benos firmly denied any involvement in hiring or requesting the services of the crypto researcher Virgil Griffith and maintained that there was no evidence to support such claims.

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Author: Ronaldo Marquez

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