Today, the State Department is announcing a reward offer of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Swedish national Maximilian Rivkin for conspiring to participate in or attempting to participate in transnational organized crime. Specifically, Rivkin was administrator and influencer of an encrypted communication service used by criminals worldwide. His communications on the platform implicated him in several nefarious activities, including his alleged participation in drug trafficking, money laundering, murder conspiracy and other violent acts.
This reward offer is being announced jointly with the Swedish Police Authority, who charged Rivkin with narcotics smuggling and trafficking. He was also indicted and charged by a U.S. federal grand jury with international racketeering conspiracy involving drug trafficking and money laundering. This joint reward offer reinforces the U.S. efforts to disrupt and deter transnational criminal activity globally and to build a global coalition to address synthetic drug threats. Transnational organized crime and illicit drug trafficking threatens economic prosperity and challenges the stability of governments and societies around the world. The United States stands with our allies against transnational organized crime and its associated violence across the globe.
Source: U.S Department of State, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs