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) alleging that the privacy wallet facilitated money laundering.

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

Authorities also issued a seizure warrant for the mobile app on Google Play, rendering it unavailable for download in the US.

Samourai Wallet, known as one of the most popular privacy-focused Bitcoin wallets, had been downloaded over 100,000 times.

Founders Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill were arrested and charged by the DOJ with conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business.

According to authorities, Rodriguez and Hill administered and marketed Samourai Wallet, allegedly operating a crypto mixer that handled over $2 billion worth of Bitcoin in illicit transactions. They are also accused of facilitating over $100 million in money laundering transactions on dark web markets.

Samourai Wallet offered two privacy services, including a coin mixer called Whirlpool and a “hopping” feature called Ricochet. The operators reportedly earned millions of dollars in fees from these services over several years.

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

Law enforcement alleged that Hill and Rodriguez included features in Samourai Wallet intended to aid criminal conduct, openly inviting illegal activity. Social media statements from the founders and their project accounts were included by the DOJ as evidence.

The DOJ has taken similar action against other coin mixers and their operators, focusing on money laundering and related charges. Cases are open against operators of Tornado Cash, with one already convicted in connection to Bitcoin Fog. Past DOJ cases targeted ChipMixer and Helix. The US Department of the Treasury has also sanctioned certain coin mixers, including Tornado Cash and related crypto addresses.