- The buyer behind Aqua 1’s $100 million WLFI purchase was previously arrested in the UK over suspected money laundering.
- Guren Zhou has not been charged, and the investigation remains active.
- The source of the funds used to purchase WLFI remains unclear.
Guren “Bobby” Zhou, the businessman behind Aqua 1’s $100 million purchase of World Liberty Financial’s WLFI tokens, was previously arrested in Britain over suspected money laundering, according to The New York Times.
Zhou has not been charged, but court records reportedly linked him to an alleged money laundering operation dating back to 2019. British authorities said the investigation remained active as of late July.
Aqua 1 became one of World Liberty’s largest known token buyers after purchasing $100 million worth of WLFI tokens. Blockchain analytics firm Arkham Intelligence reportedly linked wallets controlled by Web3Port and Aqua 1 to the purchase.
The source of the $100 million investment remains unclear. Previous ventures connected to Zhou, including a crypto project called Caduceus, reportedly failed to gain traction despite claims of major backing.
The Times also reported that Aqua 1 previously denied connections to Web3Port after questions emerged about links between the two entities.
World Liberty said it follows all applicable laws and maintains compliance standards, but declined to comment on whether it knew the source of Zhou’s funds.
The transaction has drawn additional attention because World Liberty’s revenue-sharing structure directs a large portion of token sale proceeds to entities connected to President Donald Trump and his family.
