Irish Police crack first of 12 bitcoin wallets in €360M ($418M) drug seizure — 500 BTC accessed
first published 2026-03-24T21:23:35Z
Ireland’s Criminal Assets Bureau, aided by Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre, accessed a dormant wallet holding 500 BTC (≈$32M) that was part of a 6,000 BTC hoard seized from Clifton Collins in 2019. Investigators transferred the 500 BTC to Coinbase and said the same technique may unlock 11 remaining wallets now estimated at €360M (~$378M). The High Court has ruled the bitcoin forfeited to the state; the keys had been printed and later incinerated, leaving wallets inaccessible for seven years.
AI Analysis
Facts: CAB, with Europol support, accessed a dormant wallet containing 500 BTC and moved those funds to Coinbase; investigators said they are optimistic the same method can unlock 11 more wallets totalling ~6,000 BTC (~€360M/$378M). These concrete custody changes and the prospect of unlocking a large, forfeited BTC hoard are the basis for a mildly bearish sentiment and a moderate market-impact score.
Expected Investor Sentiment: Bearish
Potential Market Impact: Significant
Source Articles
- Irish CAB Cracks 500 BTC Wallet: First Breakthrough in $378 Million Bitcoin Seizure - Bitcoin.com
- Irish police open Bitcoin wallet years after keys were apparently lost - Cointelegraph
- Irish police unlock Bitcoin wallet years after keys vanished - CryptoBreaking
- Irish police crack lost Bitcoin wallet tied to drug dealer - Crypto News
- 10-Year-Old Bitcoin Wallet of Irish Criminal 'Wakes up' With 500 BTC Move to Coinbase; $425 Million Still Missing - U.Today
- Irish Police Crack First of 12 Bitcoin Wallets in $418M Drug Seizure - Decrypt
