Blockchain technology is becoming a crucial tool for law enforcement agencies to track and prevent international smuggling activities, including fentanyl.

Fentanyl is an extremely dangerous synthetic opioid. Thanks to its transparency, blockchain can track the activities of criminal organizations involved in fentanyl trafficking, from chemical suppliers in China to drug cartels in Mexico and North America.

Blockchain Becomes the “Achilles’ Heel” of Fentanyl Crimes

As we know, blockchain operates as an immutable digital ledger that records all transactions transparently and permanently. The technology helps increase trust and efficiency through transparent transactions and faster disbursement of funds for charitable activities.

This has created a significant weakness for fentanyl smuggling organizations. Such crime units often use cryptocurrency to conduct cross-border transactions quickly and anonymously.

According to Chainalysis, this transparency of blockchain allows investigators to trace transactions related to fentanyl. They track the flow from chemical suppliers in China to criminal organizations such as Mexican drug cartels, including the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

Authorities in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, USA, seized over $5.5 million in crypto linked to money laundering networks associated with Mexican drug cartels and Chinese chemical suppliers.

Chainalysis utilized its analytics tools to track the flow of funds from centralized exchange accounts and suspicious crypto addresses. They found that fentanyl traffickers use cryptocurrency, particularly Bitcoin (BTC) and stablecoins, to purchase precursor chemicals from Chinese suppliers.

These materials are then sent to organizations such as Mexican cartels for the production and distribution of fentanyl in the US. Darknet markets (DNMs) also play a crucial role in this network.

According to the 2025 Chainalysis Crypto Crime Report, Abacus Market is one of the largest darknet markets serving Western customers. It received $43.3 million in on-chain transactions in 2024, becoming the highest-earning market on the darkweb.

Some darknet markets ban fentanyl sales in their terms of service. However, many vendors bypass restrictions by selling fentanyl-laced substances or derivatives such as nitazenes.

ZachXBT’s investigation claims that the mysterious 50X Hyperliquid whale is actually a British cyber criminal named William Parker (formerly known as Alistair Packover). Parker has a long history of fraud, hacking, and casino theft.

This trader made headlines by profiting roughly $20 million from a series of highly leveraged trades

Who is William Parker, AKA the 50X Hyperliquid Whale?

The “50X Hyperliquid Whale” is the nickname given to a trader known for using extremely high leverage—up to 50x—on decentralized perpetual futures platforms like Hyperliquid and GMX. 

William Parker is a British cyber criminal with a long track record in hacking and fraud. 

“I tracked down a recent payment from  0xe4d3 to an unnamed person who confirmed they had been paid by the Hyperliquid trader. They provided a UK phone number used to communicate with them. Public record reveals the name William Parker is likely tied to this number,” wrote ZachXBT. 

He was arrested in 2023 for allegedly stealing around $1 million from two casinos. Even after serving time, Parker continued his illicit activities. 

Reportedly, he has been using phishing scams and other techniques to acquire funds. He later leveraged these in high-stakes crypto trading.

So, how did he actually make $20 million in a very short time? The answer is ‘using leverage’. 

Understanding 50x Hyperliquid Trades

In crypto, leverage means borrowing funds to increase the size of your trading position. In this case, the whale used up to 50× leverage. This means that even a small favorable move in an asset’s price could multiply his profits many times over. 

For example, if he had a 50× leveraged position and the price moved 2% in his favor, that 2% swing could translate into about a 100% gain on his original investment.

“A whale who opened a $450 million short position on btc with 40x leverage closed all their trades, making a $9.46M profit in 8 days. Although this person is referred to as a “Hyperliquid whale,” they are actually a criminal, gambling with stolen funds,” wrote Web3 attorney Langerius.

The trader, William Parker, as revealed by ZachXBT, opened very large positions in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ether during volatile market moments. 

He timed his trades when the market was moving rapidly earlier this month due to the whole White House Crypto Summit and Bitcoin reserve saga. 

The volatile market sentiment allowed him to move around big events or sudden price changes.

“When a whale shorts over $450 million in BTC and wants a public audience, it’s only possible on Hyperliquid. Anyone can photoshop a PNL screenshot. No one can question a Hyperliquid position, just like no one can question a Bitcoin balance. The decentralized future is here,” Hyperliquid wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

How Did Parker’s Leveraged Trades Affect the Market?

In some cases, his massive trades also forced other traders into liquidation. When a trader’s position is liquidated, the system sells its assets at a loss to cover the borrowed funds. 

This boosted the whale’s gains and also disrupted the market. Although using 50× leverage is extremely risky, Parker managed his trades carefully.

His strategy was successful enough that he reportedly made around $20 million from these high-stakes moves.

Hedera (HBAR) has been trading below the $0.20 mark for the past week. The persistent downtrend has kept the token under pressure, as both technical indicators and price action suggest a cautious market environment.

Recent signals from both the DMI and Ichimoku Cloud highlight growing bearish sentiment, with sellers starting to gain ground. The question now is whether HBAR can maintain its footing above crucial support or if further downside is on the horizon.

Hedera DMI Shows Buyers Are Still In Control, But Sellers Are Growing

Hedera ADX, which measures trend strength, is currently at 16.15, up from 11.5 yesterday. Earlier today, it briefly reached as high as 17.16. While this is a modest uptick, it indicates that the trend is slowly gaining some momentum.

Alongside this, the +DI line, which tracks bullish pressure, has declined from 26.95 yesterday to 20.27, suggesting weakening buying strength.

On the flip side, the -DI line, representing bearish pressure, has increased from 13.97 to 16.65, indicating that sellers are becoming more active.

The ADX (Average Directional Index) gauges the strength of a trend regardless of its direction. Typically, an ADX reading below 20 signals a weak or non-existent trend, between 20 and 40 suggests a developing or moderate trend, and above 40 indicates a strong trend.

With Hedera’s ADX still below 20, the trend remains weak, but the recent uptick could hint at strengthening in the near future. However, with +DI declining and -DI rising, this shift suggests that bearish momentum is starting to outweigh bullish forces.

Even though the trend strength is still soft, this pattern could mean that HBAR may continue its downtrend unless buying pressure returns to overpower the sellers.

HBAR Ichimoku Cloud Shows a Bearish Setup After Key Resistance Wasn’t Broken

The Ichimoku Cloud chart for Hedera shows that the price is still struggling below the Kumo (cloud), which reinforces the prevailing bearish trend.

The price is currently trading just under both the Tenkan-sen (conversion line) and the Kijun-sen (base line). This suggests a lack of bullish momentum and confirms indecision in the short term.

The cloud ahead is red and thick, indicating strong overhead resistance. Until the price can decisively break above this resistance area, the bearish bias is likely to persist.

The Ichimoku Cloud system provides a holistic view of support, resistance, trend direction, and momentum. When the price is below the cloud, as HBAR is now, the asset is considered to be in a downtrend.

The Tenkan-sen and Kijun-sen lines provide shorter-term signals. The Tenkan-sen’s slight below the Kijun-sen is a subtle bearish signal, though their proximity also reflects a weak trend and potential consolidation.

Given that the price is below both lines and the cloud is acting as resistance above, HBAR is likely to remain under pressure in the short term unless buying volume increases enough to push it back above the cloud and trigger a trend reversal.

Can Hedera Fall Below $0.17 Soon?

Hedera price is currently trading within a tight range, caught between a resistance level at $0.195 and a key support level at $0.184.

The price action suggests that if the $0.184 support is retested and fails to hold, HBAR could quickly move lower to test the next significant support at $0.178.

A loss of that level could open the door for further downside, potentially driving the price below $0.17.

However, if HBAR manages to reverse this downtrend, the first hurdle will be the $0.195 resistance—an area it attempted to break above yesterday but failed.

A successful breakout above $0.195 could shift the momentum back in favor of the bulls and potentially trigger a move toward the next resistance at $0.21.

If bullish momentum strengthens beyond that, the price could target higher levels at $0.258 and $0.287, with a possible retest of $0.30 – the level HBAR hasn’t touched since January 31.