Georgia arrests two administrators of AudiA6 crypto mixer after $390 million laundering case

The U.S. Department of Justice says two men were arrested in Batumi, Georgia, over their role in AudiA6, a crypto mixer that allegedly processed more than 10,300 BTC worth about $390 million at the time of the transactions. For high-risk payment and crypto operators, the useful part is simple: the case is not about price volatility, it is about the mechanics of obscuring source-of-funds trails at scale.

1. The DOJ identified the arrested men as Russian national Alexander Ledenev and Ukrainian citizen Ruslan Tkachuk. U.S. authorities say they helped run AudiA6 from 2021 onward.
2. According to investigators, AudiA6 was used to hide the origin of cryptocurrency tied to dark web markets, ransomware, and other criminal schemes. The service charged a fee of up to 5% for the laundering flow.
3. Law enforcement seized servers and devices, blocked Telegram accounts, froze crypto wallets, and took down the AudiA6 websites as well as the Dark2Web forum where the service was advertised. Investigators also found data on thousands of exchange accounts and documents used for KYC (Know Your Customer) checks.
4. U.S. authorities will seek extradition, and each defendant faces up to 20 years in prison. American agents also ran controlled purchases through the mixer, telling support that the funds were linked to drugs or a scam.
5. In its advertising, AudiA6 said it could turn “dirty” crypto into “clean” funds and reduce AML risk below 25%. The service reportedly accepted crypto, cash, and transfers via QR codes from Russian banks.

The arrest involved police and prosecutors in Georgia, the U.S. Secret Service, Poland’s Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime, and Interpol’s European branch. For PSPs and exchanges, the case is another reminder that mixers are not just a compliance headache; they are infrastructure for moving funds between illicit venues and mainstream rails.