International authorities collaborated to close down Samourai Wallet and apprehend its two founders on April 24 following criminal charges filed by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) over allegations of facilitating money laundering.

Samourai’s website now displays a seizure notice, indicating the involvement of Icelandic law enforcement, Portugal police, IRS, DOJ, FBI, and Europol in seizing Samourai’s web servers and domain, effectively shutting down the project.

A seizure warrant was also issued for the mobile app on Google Play, indicating it will no longer be available for download in the US.

Samourai Wallet, known for its privacy-focused features, was a popular choice among Bitcoin users, with the mobile app being downloaded over 100,000 times.

The DOJ has charged the founders, Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill, with conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business. They allegedly administered and promoted Samourai Wallet, which included a coin mixer called Whirlpool and a "hopping" feature called Ricochet. Authorities claim the wallet facilitated over $2 billion worth of illegal Bitcoin transactions, including over $100 million in money laundering transactions on dark web markets.

Rodriguez was arrested in the US, while Hill was apprehended in Portugal and faces extradition to the US.

Law enforcement alleges that the founders intentionally included features to aid criminal conduct and openly invited illegal activity. Social media statements from the founders and project accounts were included as evidence.

The DOJ has previously taken action against other coin mixers and their operators on similar charges. Additionally, the US Department of the Treasury has sanctioned certain coin mixers, including Tornado Cash and related crypto addresses.