How Binance Helped India Trace a Darknet Crypto Ring

S.B. Seker, Binance's Head of APAC, said blockchain transparency can make illicit transactions easier to investigate. "This transparency is actually a significant advantage – it allows authorities to trace, investigate, and address wrongdoing more effectively," he said.

Binance CEO Richard Teng posted on X on July 27: "Crypto isn't the criminal's best friend–it's often the trail that catches them. Binance & DSCI supported India's NCB in taking down a darknet drug ring by tracing on-chain fund flows."

The case follows a similar Binance-assisted takedown of a $100 million darknet drug marketplace earlier this year, where the exchange helped trace crypto flows across borders.

India's government has also sent notices to Telegram and Signal over username features, warning they could enable impersonation and criminal activity, Reuters reported. The Team Kalki investigation used the Session messaging app, which markets itself as anonymous and encrypted.

Blockchain's public record of fund movements and connected wallets gives investigators a trail alongside physical evidence, even when users assume crypto hides their identity.