Australian investigators have helped disrupt an alleged international money laundering operation accused of processing criminal proceeds, including ransomware payments linked to an Australian victim.
The Australian Federal Police has played a key role in a Europol-led international operation that dismantled an alleged money laundering service used by cyber criminals to process more than $542 million in illicit funds, including proceeds from a ransomware attack targeting an Australian business.
The operation culminated with the 10 June arrest of two men in Georgia and the seizure of infrastructure allegedly used to support the laundering network.
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According to investigators, the service, known as AudiA6, operated as a financial clearing house for cyber criminal groups, converting illicit cryptocurrency proceeds into traditional currencies in exchange for commissions ranging from 3 to 10 per cent.
Authorities allege the platform has been active since 2009 and has laundered more than $542 million between 2022 and 2025. The service was advertised on the cyber crime forum Dark2Web and is accused of processing funds linked to a 2024 ransomware payment made by an Australian company.
The AFP began contributing to the investigation in November 2025 after uncovering activity linked to two foreign administrators allegedly operating the laundering service from Georgia.
Working alongside Europol’s cyber crime and cryptocurrency specialists, AFP investigators helped trace illicit cryptocurrency transactions and map the infrastructure used to move funds across international borders.
The enforcement action resulted in the search of three properties in Georgia, the seizure of more than 30 servers, and the takedown of 25 domains linked to the operation. Authorities also froze approximately $1.1 million in cryptocurrency assets and seized a further $141,000 in cryptocurrency.
Both the AudiA6 and Dark2Web websites, on the clear web and dark web, were replaced with law enforcement seizure notices.
The operation also involved coordinated action across multiple jurisdictions, with authorities in France, Germany, Iceland, and the United States seizing servers and domains linked to the criminal infrastructure.
AFP Cybercrime Commander Graeme Marshall said the case highlighted the importance of international collaboration in tackling cyber-enabled organised crime.
“The AFP and our partners have the same goal – to disrupt cyber crime activity and hold alleged offenders to account,” Commander Marshall said.
“The strong relationship between our law enforcement partners is critical to achieving this goal.
“The work of our investigators and analysts in this operation was valuable to our international partners, and I’m proud of their efforts that contributed to this outcome in Europe.”
Commander Marshall said cyber crime remained a global threat requiring a coordinated international response.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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