Russia bitcoin narcotics case raises questions for money laundering laws
Money laundering in Russia may include converting illicitly obtained bitcoin into fiat, after a drug dealer’s case led to a disagreement in the law from the nation’s Supreme Court. As reported by the Russia n Legal Information Agency (RAPSI), the Supreme Court of the Russia n Federation’s decision to overturn a defendant’s acquittal marks the first case of money laundering via Crypto currency. The defendant was initially arrested after reportedly storing large quantities of drug precursors and producing mephedrone on a large scale. He sold drugs for bitcoin and converted his crypto into 8 million rubles ($91,000) in total, and sent the funds to his roommate’s daughter’s bank accounts. In his initial court case, the defendant was found guilty of drug trafficking but was acquitted on charges of money laundering. The court decided that since the bitcoin never ‘entered circulation,’ the money laundering charge couldn’t stick. Prose...