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Brenna T. Smith Profile picture
@brenna__smith
Aug 22, 2019 • 13 tweets • 4 min read • Read on X
[THREAD] 👇*warning: it's a long one*
Yesterday, Treasury sanctioned 11 BTC addresses (& 1 LTC address) belonging to Chinese narcotics traffickers. Here is what I've been able to dig up about them...

treasury.gov/resource-cente…
These sanctioned individuals have operated a highly sophisticated drug manufacturing and smuggling operation for years, contributing to the U.S. opioid crisis and the death of many Americans latimes.com/politics/la-na…
The U.S. government has had its eyes on these individuals for a bit now. Sessions charged two of the traffickers in Aug. 2018 with "Operating Global Opioid and Drug Manufacturing Conspiracy" justice.gov/opa/pr/two-chi…
The first 6 sanctioned addresses all belong to the same wallet (let's call it Wallet A) which contains 37 total addresses, meaning that there are potentially 29 other addresses in need of sanctioning... walletexplorer.com/wallet/120ea7e…
Wallet A was active from Feb. 2013-Sept.2017 and regularly conducted transactions with now-defunct dark marketplaces, such as Silk Road, BTC-e, and Agora Market. But, it also often had transactions involving active exchanges BTCC (formerly BTCChina) and FoxBit.
Most of the transactions involving BTCC and FoxBit were from 2015, when it was commonplace for exchanges to have lax user regulations. It is likely, at least in the case of BTCC, that the exchange has since reformed its regulatory policies.
The most lucrative address in Wallet A was involved in 101 transactions ultimately receiving roughly 1,200 BTC, or 12 million dollars today. blockchain.com/btc/address/1E…
Outside of Wallet A, the other 5 addresses divulge slightly less information. However, 2 of them are addresses created through the exchange BitStamp and another one received money through BitStamp several times.
The use of BitStamp's platform to aid in funding this operation is pretty shocking. This exchange has gone to great lengths to be compliant in the U.S. Likewise, the BitStamp addresses were active mainly in 2017 and 2018 -- not too long ago.
reuters.com/article/us-cry…
The last transaction from any of these sanctioned BTC addresses was on July 9, 2019. blockchain.com/btc/tx/1978057…
So, why is it so important that OFAC is designating these addresses? (Especially since freezing an address ultimately doesn't do too much since it's so easy to make another...)
Well, sanctioning these addresses does more than just call into question the addresses. It also increases scrutiny for everything related to those addresses, whether it be an exchange or a wallet service or a tumbler or mixer.
Treasury is showing that it is not scared to call out those in the crypto space. Right now they might just be designating addresses, but they could move on to sanctioning exchanges or entire currencies. It'll be interesting to see how future crypto designations will play out...

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More from @brenna__smith

Brenna T. Smith Profile picture
Mar 3, 2023
🧵Last month, two neo-Nazis were federally charged with trying to blackout the city of Baltimore.

I spent the past couple of weeks trying to figure out why. Here is what I found:
thebaltimorebanner.com/community/loca…
The accused — Sarah Beth Clendaniel & Brandon Clint Russell (founder of neo-Nazi org Atomwaffen) — are part of a movement called accelerationism, which aims destroy society through violent acts & spark revolution.

To them, that meant trying to attack 5 MD substations.
Their plot isn't unique, however.

Acclerationists often target energy grids. The strategy dates back to 20th century neo-Nazi texts: ”The Turner Diaries” and James Mason’s SIEGE newsletter.
Read 12 tweets
Brenna T. Smith Profile picture
Dec 2, 2022
🧵The far-right is usually seen as a national issue. But, really, it’s a local one.

@RyanLittleE and I found that a white supremacist group's nationwide propaganda campaign is significantly impacting a neighborhood in Baltimore County. More below: thebaltimorebanner.com/politics-power…
We followed the story of Tim Fargus, whose family kept on finding stickers saying "Patriot Front" throughout their neighborhood. Fargus started looking into what Patriot Front was, and grew very concerned. It made him question his neighbors and the safety of his children. Image
Patriot Front is a white nationalist group born in the aftermath of Charlottesville. The goal was to take white supremacy mainstream with sleek designs and all. PF launched a nationwide propaganda campaign flooding states across the country w/stickers and fliers. Image
Read 10 tweets
Brenna T. Smith Profile picture
Sep 9, 2022
👇🧵When Renee signed onto her federal benefits portal, her heart sank. Her prior balance of $3,000 was down to $66 dollars.

The police and DHS are responsible for figuring out how this happened. But, she solved the mystery on her own. My latest story:thebaltimorebanner.com/community/crim…
Renee filed a report with both her local police and DHS. Both were initially responsive, then DHS declared there wasn't evidence of fraud. Radio silence followed. So, she started collecting evidence herself. Image
She went to all the stores where her card was used to collect surveillance footage. All the purchases occurred throughout D.C. and the outskirts of Maryland, over 50 miles from her home. thebaltimorebanner.com/community/crim…
Read 11 tweets
Brenna T. Smith Profile picture
Mar 20, 2022
As Russian forces pushed toward Kyiv, they stormed an apartment complex in a nearby suburb and held residents hostage. The New York Times spoke with seven people who escaped and obtained security camera footage and witness videos. nytimes.com/2022/03/20/wor…
From the first day of the war in Ukraine, the residents of the Pokrovsky apartments in Hostomel watched from their homes as Russian forces attacked nearby Antonov Airport. A fleet of attack helicopters fired missiles, and day-by-day the fighting drew closer.
Then, on March 3, the eighth day of the war, soldiers came to their doors. The residents watched their closed-circuit television as tanks and troops arrived outside. “We didn't know what could happen to us,” one said. “It was just a total state of fear.”
Read 12 tweets
Brenna T. Smith Profile picture
Mar 4, 2022
The New York Times verified videos from the firefight at Europe's largest power plant in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. It appears to show a line of military vehicles shooting at buildings inside the complex resulting in fires breaking out.

Read more here: nytimes.com/live/2022/03/0…
IAEA Director General @rafaelmgrossi said that earlier in the day a large number of Russian military entered a town next to the plant and were moving towards the site. Grossi also called for a halt to the fighting warning of “severe danger."
.@moll_david reports that Biden is joining President Zelensky in urging Russia to “cease its military activities in the area and allow firefighters and emergency responders to access the site," according to a statement from the White House.
Read 11 tweets
Brenna T. Smith Profile picture
Oct 31, 2021
We rolled back the film from over 100 fatal traffic stops to understand how the most routine police interactions can turn deadly. We found a striking pattern — right before the “final frame” of the fatal encounter, officers put themselves in imminent peril.nytimes.com/interactive/20…
Some policing experts call it officer-created jeopardy: when officers make tactical mistakes that put themselves in danger — stepping into the path of a car, jumping onto a moving vehicle — then use lethal force to defend against that danger.
We focused on 120 fatal traffic stops where footage of the encounter, including the use of deadly force, was clearly visible. We found officer-created jeopardy directly preceded the deadly force in 45 cases.
Read 14 tweets

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