The DEA is the administration in charge of investigating drug trafficking cases in the United States of America. The funds of many users of the exchange are under investigation by Dutch authorities.
At least 30 Colombian users of the cryptocurrency exchange Binance have already raised their voices regarding the blocking of their funds for weeks. Recently, the affected users got instructed by Binance support to contact the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
In Colombia, at least 20 users reported and complained to the company, arguing that they could not access their funds. Some of them referred to their losses as life savings, so the situation was desperate.
At that time, Binance revealed a message that claimed that Dutch police sources were investigating the origin of the stored funds. These funds, in principle, could get linked to criminal activities by their previous holders, who transferred them to their Colombian peers through cryptocurrency purchase and sale operations on the exchange.
Now, the surprise for many users was that, as the days went by, messages appear to be linking the investigation to the DEA, as well as to another US agency: the ATF, known as The Bureau that fights against alcohol, tobacco, fire weapons, and explosives.
The users affected by the blockade, which today would already be more than 50 as confirmed by this medium, have a Telegram group in which they organize to take further measures.
Binance’s Responses to Users
Considering the information that appeared in the answers given from the Binance support to the queries, the suspension of accounts has to do with “profile review” by the platform’s Legal Compliance department.
Although some users got required to authenticate their identity, the issue did not meet a positive end even after this step met its completion. In addition, many people assumed that they already had the verification ready before the blockade.
They are already in contact with lawyers and even legal consultants in the United States of America to learn more about their case, to know if there is indeed an open investigation on North America and, mainly, to defend themselves to recover their access to the lost funds.
One of the messages received by a user and shared in the group highlights that Binance cannot give more information right now. These affected users must contact the DEA to receive further details regarding the situation.
Previously, one of the blocked users contacted Belastingdienst, a Dutch government agency in charge of tax and fiscal affairs, by mail and through social networks. Despite the lack of response from the entity via email, the user was lucky on Instagram and got a response in that social media.
This person received detailed instructions to get contacted by phone or email. This lack of information seems to be shady, and it is what worries this group of Colombians who want to recover their cryptocurrencies.
By: Jenson Nuñez
