NEW YORK, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Chinese cryptocurrency addresses sent more than $2.2 billion worth of digital tokens to addresses tied to illegal activity such as scams and darknet market operations between April 2019 and June 2021, according to a report from blockchain data platform Chainalysis released on Tuesday.

These addresses received $2 billion in cryptocurrency from illicit sources as well, making China a large player in digital-currency related crime, it added. The report analyzes China's cryptocurrency activity amid government crackdowns.

However, China's transaction volume with illicit addresses has fallen drastically over the two-year period in terms of absolute value and relative to other countries, Chainalysis said. The big reason is the absence of large-scale Ponzi schemes such as the 2019 scam involving crypto wallet and dark market link exchange PlusToken that originated in China, it noted.

Users and customers lost an estimated $3 billion to $4 billion from the PlusToken scam.

The vast majority of China's illegal fund movements in crypto has been related to scams, although that has declined as well, dark darknet market list the Chainalysis report said.

"This is most likely because of both the awareness raised by PlusToken, as well as the crackdowns in the area," said Gurvais Grigg, global public sector chief technology officer at Chainalysis, in an email to Reuters.

The report also cited trafficking out of China in fentanyl, a very potent narcotic pain medication prescribed for severe pain or dark web markets pain after surgery.

Chainalysis described China as the hub of the global fentanyl trade, with many Chinese producers of the drug using cryptocurrency to carry out transactions.

Money laundering is another notable form of crypto-based crime disproportionately carried out in China, Chainalysis said.

Most cryptocurrency-based money laundering involves mainstream digital currency exchanges, darkmarket link often through over-the-counter desks whose businesses are built on top of these platforms.

Chainalysis noted that China appears to be taking action against businesses and individuals facilitating this activity.

It cited Zhao Dong, founder of several Chinese OTC businesses, pleading guilty in May to money laundering charges after being arrested last year. (Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Editing by Richard Chang)

LONDON, Feb 12 (Reuters) - The kingpin or darknet market links kingpins of the world's biggest illicit credit card marketplace have retired after making an estimated fortune of over $1 billion in cryptocurrency, according to research by blockchain analysis firm Elliptic shared with Reuters.

The "Joker's Stash" marketplace, where stolen credit cards and identity data traded hands for bitcoin and other digital coins, ceased operations this month, Elliptic said on Friday, in what it called a rare example of such a site bowing out on its own terms.

Criminal use of cryptocurrencies has long worried regulators, with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde calling last month for tighter oversight.

While terrorist financing and money laundering are top of law-enforcement concerns, narcotics, fraud, scams and ransomware are among the chief areas of illegal use of digital currencies, according to Elliptic co-founder Tom Robinson.

Joker's Stash was launched in 2014, with its anonymous founder "JokerStash" - which could be one or more people - posting messages in both Russian and English, Elliptic said. It was available on the regular web and alphabay darknet market url via the alphabay darknet link, which hosts marketplaces selling contraband.

The darknet market, or darkweb, is a part of the internet that isn't visible to regular search engines, and requires a form of browser that hides a user's identity to access.

Elliptic, whose clients include law-enforcement agencies and financial firms, estimates that JokerStash raked in more than $1 billion in profits in cryptocurrencies over the years, at current prices. Bitcoin has soared from just over $300 in 2014 to hit a record $49,000 on Friday, pulling up other coins in its wake.

The blockchain firm reached the over $1 billion figure by analysing the marketplace's revenue and the fees it charged, and said it was at the lower end of its estimates.

In December, Interpol and the FBI seized the domain names used by the site, but it continued operating via the darknet market, Elliptic said website Cyber-security firm Digital Shadows also said in December that the darknet market site remained live after the seizure.

Interpol did not respond to a request for comment. The FBI could not be reached outside regular business hours.

Trading illegal credit cards is "a billion-dollar business," said Robinson. "It's also providing a means of cashing out other types of cyber-criminality."

On Jan. 15. Joker's Stash posted a message announcing it would close permanently on Feb. 15. In fact it went offline on Feb. 3, Elliptic said.

"Joker goes on a well-deserved retirement," said the message, which Reuters saw a screenshot of. "It's time for us to leave forever."

Accompanying it was a picture of the 1862 painting "Sta´nczyk" by Polish artist Jan Matejko, which depicts a court jester sitting forlornly in a bedroom as a party goes on in the background.

(Reporting by Tom Wilson; Editing by Pravin Char)