US Treasury Sanctions 49 Crypto Addresses Tied to Nemesis Darknet Market
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has recently escalated its efforts against darknet marketplaces, specifically targeting Behrouz Parsarad, the operator of Nemesis. This significant move comes as part of a broader crackdown on illicit online activities, particularly those involving the trafficking of illegal drugs.
OFAC has imposed sanctions on Parsarad, alongside blacklisting 49 cryptocurrency addresses associated with his operations—44 linked to Bitcoin and 5 to Monero. According to Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith, “As the administrator of the Nemesis darknet marketplace, Parsarad sought to build—and continues to try to re-establish—a safe haven to facilitate the production, sale, and shipment of illegal narcotics like fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.”
Background investigations reveal that Parsarad, an Iranian national, established and managed Nemesis, orchestrating a highly profitable network that generated substantial income through transactional fees. Authorities estimate that he laundered millions by facilitating the movement of digital assets for drug traffickers and cybercriminals.
Since its inception in 2021, Nemesis emerged as a notorious hub for illegal transactions on the darknet. Before its dismantling in 2024, the platform was leveraged by drug dealers and cybercriminals for a myriad of illicit activities—ranging from the sale of dangerous substances like fentanyl to the provision of hacking services and counterfeit identification documents. The marketplace was intricately designed to obscure transactional footprints, thus enhancing its money laundering capabilities.
At its peak, Nemesis boasted over 30,000 active users and 1,000 vendors, facilitating drug sales that amounted to almost $30 million globally, significantly affecting the U.S. market.
In a coordinated law enforcement operation on March 20, 2024, officials from the U.S., Germany, and Lithuania seized the servers encompassing Nemesis, along with approximately $102,000 in associated cryptocurrency assets. Following the marketplace’s closure, reports suggest that Parsarad has begun negotiations with former vendors about launching a new illicit platform, indicating the persistence of such operations.
The U.S. Treasury’s ongoing initiatives reflect heightened vigilance against similar dark web enterprises, as evidenced by previous crackdowns on platforms like Genesis Market and Hydra. Nevertheless, according to the 2025 Crypto Crime Report by TRM Labs, darknet marketplaces remain resilient, generating over $1.7 billion in revenue in 2024 alone. Notably, Russian-language platforms continue to dominate the sector, accounting for more than 97% of drug sales, primarily transacted using Bitcoin and Tron’s TRX. This marks a slight increase from the previous year, highlighting the enduring growth of the illegal online economy.
