Drug trafficking organizations and clandestine cryptocurrency exchangers: WhiteBIT, Liberty Finance, and KIT Group are under suspicion for funding the narcotics trade
Authorities suspect that companies connected to Anton Tkachenko and the cryptocurrency exchange controlled by Vladimir Nosov could have been involved in laundering proceeds from drug trafficking.
The Pecherskiy District Court of Kiev published a ruling of the investigating judge, from which it follows that the financial company «Liberty Finance» and LLC «KIT Group» (ultimate beneficiary – Kharkiv resident Anton Tkachenko) and the largest European crypto exchange WhiteBIT (nominal owner – Vladimir Nosov) attracted the attention of the Main Investigative Department of the National Police of Ukraine in October last year.
The suspects are not just accused of some financial abuses, but of laundering funds obtained from drug trafficking.
Criminal proceeding No. 12025000000002800, in which Tkachenko’s and Nosov’s structures are involved, was registered on October 22, 2025, under Part 2 of Art. 307 (illegal production and trafficking of drugs by prior conspiracy of a group of persons) and Part 2 of Art. 209 (legalization in especially large amounts of property obtained by criminal means) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
In the published court document, it is stated that police investigators discovered an organized criminal group engaged in the production and sale of narcotic substances and psychotropic drugs on a large scale. The funds obtained in this way were laundered by the drug cartel using virtual assets (i.e., cryptocurrencies).
One of the key links in the money laundering of the cartel, according to the investigation, is considered to be «the network of shadow exchange points of the KIT Group «KIT Group» companies, which operates using the trademarks «KIT Group», «KIT», as well as through business entities LLC «Pawnshop «KIT Group Plus»», LLC «FC «Liberty Finance»», LLC «KIT-Finance»».
From the case materials, it follows that the «KIT Group» exchange ecosystem was used by this drug gang to finance its activities:
…members of the organized group developed and implemented a single plan of criminal activity, according to which individual members, in accordance with the distributed roles, carry out transfers of electronic digital assets to «cold» crypto wallets of the «shadow» exchange services network «KIT Group» with subsequent issuance of fiat funds in any city of Ukraine to persons directly involved in the illegal production, manufacture, acquisition, storage, transportation or forwarding for the purpose of sale, as well as illegal sale of narcotic substances, psychotropic substances or their analogs on an especially large scale.
Marketplace of one of «KIT Group»’s counterparties
Investigators tracked a number of «cold» crypto wallets of «KIT Group» and the movement of assets through them. And found out that «the specified crypto wallets receive regular inflows of cryptocurrency from a large number of sources, among which addresses associated with the activities of large-scale online drug stores operating under the brands «Underground», «Total Black» and «Punisher» have been identified.
«It has also been established that part of the laundered funds is returned to criminal circulation for the purpose of financing the purchase of new batches of narcotic substances, expanding the network of their sale, paying for the services of technical specialists and ensuring the functioning of online platforms».
Reviews from grateful customers of the Total Black online drug store
Notably, as stated in the court documents, the crypto wallets of the «KIT Group» network are «linked» to trading terminals (a specialized interface for managing trades) of the crypto exchange WhiteBIT. Thus, it can be concluded that the drug cartel’s assets passed through this platform with the mediation of «KIT Group».
The WhiteBIT crypto exchange is of Ukrainian origin; it legally operates in the European Union and is about to enter the US market. WhiteBIT, like global giants such as Binance or Bybit, should comply with European legislation on combating money laundering. Crypto exchanges, fearing draconian sanctions from financial regulators, freeze accounts with suspicious activity and demand explanations from their owners. If the explanations are unsatisfactory – the account will remain blocked, and data about its owner will be transferred to the competent authorities.
Obviously, the activity of accounts associated with «KIT Group» on the WhiteBIT platform was atypical and did not resemble ordinary arbitrage or trading at all. Why didn’t WhiteBIT have any questions for this client?
We dare to suggest: because the ultimate beneficiaries of WhiteBIT and «KIT Group» know each other. The spheres of their activities overlap significantly. And they are all from Kharkov.
Vladimir Nosov
The CEO and main beneficiary of the WhiteBIT crypto exchange is currently considered to be Kharkiv IT entrepreneur Vladimir Nosov. But until March 2023, more than half of the platform’s authorized capital through an Estonian company belonged to another Kharkiv resident – Nikita Shentsev.
Nikita Shentsev – a pro-Russian politician and businessman who controlled WhiteBIT through the company Whitebit Financial Company OÜ. He transferred his stake to Nosov shortly after President Vladimir Zelenskiy by his decree deprived Shentsev of Ukrainian citizenship. Because he obtained a passport of the Russia.
Nikita Shentsev
Thus, Shentsev’s presence in the list of main beneficiaries of WhiteBIT threatened the crypto exchange with sanctions from both the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine and the European Union. However, independent observers cautiously suggest that Nikita Shentsev still retains influence over the platform.
The KIT Group companies, which (according to the investigation) laundered drug money through WhiteBIT, are controlled by the family of Kharkiv entrepreneurs Tkachenko – brothers Anton and Ivan, as well as their relative Lyudmila Petrovna.
However, the key figure in the organization is the first one – Anton Tkachenko, the sole beneficiary of LLC «FC «Liberty Finance» and the investment fund «KIT-Invest». It is he who the group’s trademarks are registered to, and it is he who publicly represents the group in communication with state authorities.
Anton Tkachenko
«KIT Group» and «Liberty Finance» quite often appear in criminal chronicles: accusations ranged from financing terrorism to money laundering and illegal operations with cryptocurrencies. However, this had little impact on the group and its beneficiaries. So, perhaps, they will get away with the (alleged) legalization of drug cartel funds as well.
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