UK Police Seize $1.4M in Bitcoin Traced to Shuttered Darknet Markets
In brief Avon and Somerset Police forfeited 20.21 Bitcoin along with other crypto and bank funds worth $1.4 million (£1.03 million). Investigators traced the assets to darknet marketplaces that operated between 2016 and 2019 and have since been closed by law enforcement.
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Key Facts
- Fact 1: In brief Avon and Somerset Police forfeited 20.21 Bitcoin along with other crypto and bank funds worth $1.4 million (£1.03 million).
- Fact 2: Investigators traced the assets to darknet marketplaces that operated between 2016 and 2019 and have since been closed by law enforcement.
- Fact 3: It is the force's largest crypto seizure since the UK introduced crypto wallet freezing orders in April 2024.
- Fact 4: Avon and Somerset Police said Thursday its financial investigation unit had recovered 20.21 BTC, further cryptoassets and money held in a bank account, worth $1.4 million (£1,032,487.86) combined.
In brief Avon and Somerset Police forfeited 20.21 Bitcoin along with other crypto and bank funds worth $1.4 million (£1.03 million). Investigators traced the assets to darknet marketplaces that operated between 2016 and 2019 and have since been closed by law enforcement.
It is the force's largest crypto seizure since the UK introduced crypto wallet freezing orders in April 2024. Over a million dollars worth of Bitcoin that moved through darknet marketplaces nearly a decade ago has been forfeited to a regional English police force. Avon and Somerset Police said Thursday its financial investigation unit had recovered 20.21 BTC, further cryptoassets and money held in a bank account, worth $1.4 million (£1,032,487.86) combined.
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