A $31 million Bitcoin donation to Ross Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road, has been linked to Alphabay, another dark web marketplace, raising concerns about illicit crypto flows.
Chainalysis traced the donation to a wallet associated with Alphabay, suspecting a former vendor as the sender who likely used crypto mixing services to obscure the funds' origin.
ZachXBT confirmed the use of mixing services including Jambler, indicating common obfuscation tactics like multiple crypto mixers and transfers through centralized exchanges.
The incident highlights the ongoing challenges of tracing illicit crypto transactions and the support Ulbricht still receives from darknet-linked actors despite his imprisonment, emphasizing the complexities of crypto regulation.