UK Police Seize $1.4M in Bitcoin Traced to Shuttered Darknet Markets
Avon and Somerset Police forfeited 20.21 BTC plus other cryptoassets and bank funds, worth about $1.4 million total, after tracing them to darknet marketplace activity from 2016–2019. The person under investigation had a prior money laundering conviction and later died. Officers, with help from the force’s cyber team, linked the assets to markets that enabled crimes including drug supply and human trafficking. The case highlights how blockchain records can help law enforcement trace cryptocurrency transactions, even years later. Police said it was their largest crypto seizure since new wallet-freezing powers took effect in April 2024, allowing officers to freeze and seize crypto without first making an arrest. The assets were forfeited under the Proceeds of Crime Act after a court found they were proceeds of unlawful conduct. Money recovered under that law goes to community and policing programs.
