OFAC Sanctions Administrator of Former Darknet Marketplace

The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned Iran-based Behrouz Parsarad, who was the administrator of Nemesis, a former online darknet marketplace that allowed users to trade illegal drugs and services. OFAC said Parsarad created Nemesis and “held full control over the marketplace and its virtual currency wallets,” earning millions of dollars from the fees he charged users with every transaction. The agency said Nemesis was taken down in 2024 after an “international law enforcement operation.”