The detainees include citizens of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. Polish authorities say the network engaged in sabotage and planned to blow up trains carrying supplies for Ukraine, collecting data and photos of military facilities. Unnamed customers gave rewards in cryptocurrency, mostly bitcoins, to the group members for completing tasks. The saboteurs were trying to quickly exchange digital coins for cash, security sources said;
“The first arrests took place at that time, not later, because the risk of a sabotage attack was too great to continue surveillance of the group,” law enforcers said.
The detainees face up to 10 years in prison.
Chinese law enforcement recently froze and seized cryptocurrency for the first time as part of an investigation into a gambling case. According to police, the cryptocurrency was taken from a gaming platform that was used to attract and defraud players.