UK police seize $1.4M tied to darknet market activity

cryptonews08-29 20:52

A regional UK police force has seized 20.21 Bitcoin and other assets valued at more than $1.4 million after tracing the funds to darknet marketplaces active between 2016 and 2019. Summary Police ...

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}\n.meta {color:#5e5c6d;font-size:13px;margin:0 0 .5em; }\na{text-decoration:none; color:#2a4b87;}\n.meta .head { display: inline-block; overflow: hidden}\n.head .h-thumb { width: 30px; height: 30px; margin: 0; padding: 0; border-radius: 50%; float: left;}\n.head .h-content { margin: 0; padding: 0 0 0 9px; float: left;}\n.head .h-name {font-size: 13px; color: #eee; margin: 0;}\n.head .h-time {font-size: 11px; color: #7E829C; margin: 0;line-height: 11px;}\n.small {font-size: 12.5px; display: inline-block; transform: scale(0.9); -webkit-transform: scale(0.9); transform-origin: left; -webkit-transform-origin: left;}\n.smaller {font-size: 12.5px; display: inline-block; transform: scale(0.8); -webkit-transform: scale(0.8); transform-origin: left; -webkit-transform-origin: left;}\n.bt-text {font-size: 12px;margin: 1.5em 0 0 0}\n.bt-text p {margin: 0}\n</style>\n</head>\n<body>\n<div class=\"wrapper\">\n<header>\n<h2 class=\"title\">\nUK police seize $1.4M tied to darknet market activity\n</h2>\n\n<h4 class=\"meta\">\n\n\n2026-08-29 20:52 GMT+8&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=https://crypto.news/uk-police-seize-1-4m-tied-to-darknet-market-activity/><strong>cryptonews</strong></a>\n\n\n</h4>\n\n</header>\n<article>\n<div>\n<p>A regional UK police force has seized 20.21 Bitcoin and other assets valued at more than $1.4 million after tracing the funds to darknet marketplaces active between 2016 and 2019.\n\n\nSummary\n\n\n\nPolice ...</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://crypto.news/uk-police-seize-1-4m-tied-to-darknet-market-activity/\">Source Link</a>\n\n</div>\n\n\n</article>\n</div>\n</body>\n</html>\n","isBrief":false,"type":0,"news_type":1,"symbol":"EZBC","symbol_name":"比特币ETF-Franklin","start_time":0,"source_url":"https://crypto.news/uk-police-seize-1-4m-tied-to-darknet-market-activity/","article_id":"2663017665","we_media_id":null,"thumbnails":[],"rights":{"source":"crypto_news_highlight","url":"https://crypto.news/uk-police-seize-1-4m-tied-to-darknet-market-activity/","rn_cache_url":null,"directOrigin":true},"url":"https://stock-news.laohu8.com/highlight/detail?id=2663017665","pubTimestamp":1788007936,"columns":[],"sourceInfo":{"source_id":"crypto_news_highlight","name":"Crypto News"},"weMediaInfo":null,"summary":"A regional UK police force has seized 20.21 Bitcoin and other assets valued at more than $1.4 million after tracing the funds to darknet marketplaces active between 2016 and 2019.Police recovered 20.21 BTC, other cryptoassets, and bank funds valued at 1.03 million.Investigators traced the holdings to unnamed darknet markets that operated from 2016 to 2019.A court forfeited the assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act earlier in 2026.The recovery is the force’s largest since new crypto freezing powers took effect in April 2024.The assets had a combined value of 1,032,487.86, or more than $1.4 million, when the police force valued them. Officials did not disclose the amount held in other cryptocurrencies or the bank account, nor did they identify the tokens involved.Dutch police had secretly taken control of Hansa before closing it alongside AlphaBay. Europol said investigators operated Hansa for about one month, allowing them to collect information about vendors and customers who moved to","collect":0,"end_time":0,"defaultTopTitle":"crypto.news","property":[],"viewcount":null,"language":"en","relate_stocks":{"EZBC":"比特币ETF-Franklin","BRRR":"比特币ETF-CoinShares","BTCI":"NEOS Bitcoin High Income ETF","BPI":"Grayscale Bitcoin Premium Income ETF","BTF":"比特币&以太币期货ETF-CoinShares","CBXY":"Calamos Bitcoin 90 Series Structured Alt Protection ETF - July","CBOA":"Calamos Bitcoin Structured Alt Protection ETF - April","DFII":"FT Cboe Vest Bitcoin Strategy & Target Income ETF","BITU":"2倍做多比特币期货ETF-Proshares","CBOJ":"Calamos Bitcoin Structured Alt Protection ETF - January","DEFI":"比特币期货ETF-Hashdex","ARKB":"比特币ETF-21Shares","BFAP":"FT Vest Bitcoin Strategy Floor15 ETF - April","CBTA":"Calamos Bitcoin 80 Series Structured Alt Protection ETF – April","BTCL":"T-REX 2X LONG BITCOIN DAILY TARGET ETF","MAXI":"比特币期货ETF-Simplify","QBF":"Innovator Uncapped Bitcoin 20 Floor ETF - Quarterly","BTCO":"比特币ETF-Invesco Galaxy","CBTJ":"Calamos Bitcoin 80 Series Structured Alt Protection ETF - January","BITX":"2倍比特币期货ETF-Volatility Shares","MNRS":"GRAYSCALE BITCOIN MINERS ETF","CBOO":"Calamos Bitcoin Structured Alt Protection ETF - October","YBTC":"比特币看涨期权ETF-Roundhill","BITY":"Amplify Bitcoin 2% Monthly Option Income ETF","CBTO":"Calamos Bitcoin 80 Series Structured Alt Protection ETF - October","BCCC":"Global X Bitcoin Covered Call ETF","BAGY":"Amplify Bitcoin Max Income Covered Call ETF","BTCC":"Grayscale Bitcoin Covered Call ETF","BTRN":"比特币期货ETF-Global X","BTCW":"比特币ETF-Wisdom Tree","CBTY":"Calamos Bitcoin 80 Series Structured Alt Protection ETF - July","BITB":"比特币ETF-Bitwise","HODL":"比特币ETF-VanEck","BTCZ":"T-Rex 2X Inverse Bitcoin Daily Target ETF","CBXA":"Calamos Bitcoin 90 Series Structured Alt Protection ETF – April","GBTC":"比特币ETF-Grayscale","BETE":"等权重比特币&以太币期货ETF-ProShares","SBIT":"2倍做空比特币期货ETF-Proshares","CBOY":"Calamos Bitcoin Structured Alt Protection ETF - July","BFJL":"FT Vest Bitcoin Strategy Floor15 ETF - July","CBXJ":"Calamos Bitcoin 90 Series Structured Alt Protection ETF - January","XBTY":"GraniteShares YieldBOOST Bitcoin ETF","CBXO":"Calamos Bitcoin 90 Series Structured Alt Protection ETF - October","BITI":"1倍做空比特币期货ETF-Proshares","BTC":"Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust","BETH":"比特币&以太币期货ETF-ProShares","BITO":"比特币期货ETF-ProShares","FBTC":"比特币ETF-Fidelity","IBIT":"比特币ETF-iShares"},"translate_title":"英国警方查获与暗网市场活动有关的 140 万美元","themeId":null,"isJumpTheme":false,"ttsUrl":null,"symbols_score_info":{"CBOA":0.6,"GBTC":0.6,"EZBC":0.6,"BITX":0.6,"MNRS":0.6,"BTC":1.97,"BFAP":0.6,"BTCO":0.6,"BAGY":0.6,"IBIT":0.6,"XBTY":0.6,"MAXI":0.6,"CBOO":0.6,"DFII":0.6,"FBTC":0.6,"CBTO":0.6,"YBTC":0.6,"BTCI":0.6,"BPI":0.6,"CBTA":0.6,"CBTJ":0.6,"BITO":0.6,"BFJL":0.6,"BITB":0.6,"BTF":0.6,"BITY":0.6,"BITU":0.6,"BTCW":0.6,"BTCL":0.6,"BTCZ":0.6,"CBXY":0.6,"BTCC":0.6,"HODL":0.6,"BETE":0.6,"CBXO":0.6,"BETH":0.6,"CBXA":0.6,"SBIT":0.6,"BITI":0.6,"BRRR":0.6,"QBF":0.6,"BTRN":0.6,"CBOJ":0.6,"DEFI":0.6,"CBOY":0.6,"CBXJ":0.6,"BCCC":0.6,"ARKB":0.6,"CBTY":0.6},"content_text":"A regional UK police force has seized 20.21 Bitcoin and other assets valued at more than $1.4 million after tracing the funds to darknet marketplaces active between 2016 and 2019.\n\n\nSummary\n\n\n\nPolice recovered 20.21 BTC, other cryptoassets, and bank funds valued at £1.03 million.\nInvestigators traced the holdings to unnamed darknet markets that operated from 2016 to 2019.\nA court forfeited the assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act earlier in 2026.\nThe recovery is the force’s largest since new crypto freezing powers took effect in April 2024.\n\n\n\nUK police recover 20.21 Bitcoin and other assets\nAvon and Somerset Police said on Aug. 27 that its Financial Investigation Unit had recovered 20.21 BTC, other digital assets, and money held in a bank account.\nThe assets had a combined value of £1,032,487.86, or more than $1.4 million, when the police force valued them. Officials did not disclose the amount held in other cryptocurrencies or the bank account, nor did they identify the tokens involved.\nEarlier in 2026, a court approved the forfeiture after accepting that the holdings represented proceeds from unlawful conduct. Police pursued the assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act, which allows authorities to recover property obtained through criminal activity.\nThe unnamed person at the center of the investigation had previously been convicted of money laundering and has since died, according to the statement. Officials did not disclose when the earlier conviction occurred, the offenses connected to it, or whether anyone else was investigated.\nAt Bitcoin’s current price of about $77,570, the 20.21 BTC alone would be worth approximately $1.57 million. The difference from the police valuation may come from the date on which officials calculated the total, as Bitcoin’s market price has changed since the assets were forfeited. The force did not provide a valuation date or state whether any of the Bitcoin had been converted into pounds.\nBlockchain records exposed the darknet funds\nWorking with the force’s cyber team, financial investigators used specialist tracing methods to follow the assets to several darknet marketplaces operating from 2016 through 2019.\nPolice did not name the platforms but said law enforcement agencies have since closed all of them. According to the force, the marketplaces facilitated offenses ranging from drug distribution to human trafficking.\nThe period includes several major darknet enforcement operations. The U.S. Department of Justice closed the AlphaBay market in July 2017 after an international investigation involving authorities in the United States, Thailand, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Canada, the United Kingdom, and France.\nDutch police had secretly taken control of Hansa before closing it alongside AlphaBay. Europol said investigators operated Hansa for about one month, allowing them to collect information about vendors and customers who moved to the platform after the AlphaBay takedown.\nDream Market, another large platform from the period covered by the Avon and Somerset investigation, stopped operating in 2019. The police statement did not say whether the recovered Bitcoin passed through AlphaBay, Hansa, Dream Market, or other marketplaces.\nAlthough darknet services can hide the people behind transactions, public blockchain records retain the movement of Bitcoin between addresses. Investigators can combine that transaction history with exchange records, seized devices, and other financial evidence to identify links between wallets and suspected criminal activity.\nDetective Constable Anthony Davis of the Financial Investigation Unit said some people believe cryptocurrency can provide anonymity, conceal wealth, and keep assets outside the reach of police. In practice, he said, the blockchain stores a “permanent record of transactions” that can become “an invaluable source of evidence.”\nDavis added that specialist financial investigation skills had become increasingly important for locating and recovering criminal assets held in cryptocurrencies.\nUK crypto freezing powers support asset recovery\nThe operation is Avon and Somerset Police’s largest cryptocurrency seizure since crypto wallet freezing orders became available in April 2024.\nThe UK government introduced the new powers through changes to the Proceeds of Crime Act. Police can freeze cryptoassets when they have reasonable grounds to suspect a connection to illegal activity, even when authorities have not made an arrest.\nBefore the amendments, officers could face limits when trying to take control of digital assets during an investigation. The current rules allow authorities to transfer seized tokens into law enforcement-controlled wallets and recover items that could provide access to the funds, including written passwords and storage devices.\nOfficers may also destroy a cryptoasset when returning it to circulation would not serve the public interest. When the measures took effect, the UK Home Office identified privacy-focused cryptocurrencies as one type of asset that could require such treatment.\nA freezing order does not itself establish that an asset is criminal property. In the Avon and Somerset case, the holdings were forfeited only after a court became satisfied that they came from unlawful conduct.\nMoney recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Act can be directed to policing and community programs. Avon and Somerset Police said the funds may support education, training, early intervention and crime-prevention work.\nU.S. cases also rely on blockchain tracing\nThe British recovery follows several American cases in which investigators used transaction records to locate crypto connected to darknet services.\nIn January, crypto.news previously reported that the U.S. Department of Justice completed a $400 million forfeiture involving assets seized from Helix operator Larry Dean Harmon. The DOJ said Helix processed more than 354,000 BTC between 2014 and 2017 and helped customers conceal funds associated with darknet markets.\nA federal court granted the U.S. government legal ownership of the Helix assets after Harmon pleaded guilty in 2021 to operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business and violating the Bank Secrecy Act. He received a three-year prison sentence in 2024.\nIn June, U.S. prosecutors charged two alleged operators of the AudiA6 laundering service, which authorities accused of handling more than $389 million in cryptocurrency. Blockchain analysis cited by prosecutors identified about 10,333 BTC deposited into wallets controlled by the service since 2021, including 393.39 BTC sent directly from known darknet markets, ransomware groups, and other illicit sources.\nThe UK has also handled much larger Bitcoin recoveries. In September 2025, Chinese national Zhimin Qian pleaded guilty after authorities recovered digital wallets containing 61,000 BTC connected to an investment fraud that targeted more than 128,000 people in China. Police discovered the wallets during a 2018 raid after receiving information about the transfer of criminal assets, according to earlier case coverage.\n\n\n\n\n\n                Read more:\n            \n\n                Hyperliquid gets first HIP-4 outcome DEX with OUT","kind":"highlight","is_publish_news":true,"is_publish_highlight":false,"is_publish_live":false,"is_publish_wemedia":false,"editions":null,"column":"","sentiment":"0","news_tag":"","news_rank":0,"isVideo":false,"video":null,"symbols":[],"gpt_button":0,"need_auth":false,"need_login_tip":false,"code":"91000000","status":"200"},"commentList":[],"isCommentEnd":true,"newsSizeData":{"likeSize":0,"commentSize":0,"repostSize":0,"favoriteSize":0,"likeStatus":false,"favoriteStatus":false},"APP":{"userAgent":"Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)","isDev":false,"isTTM":true,"isLaohu8Offline":false,"tenantId":"TBGLOBAL","deviceId":"web-server-community-laohu8-v3","version":"4.48.0","shortVersion":"4.48.0","platform":"web","vendor":"web","appName":"ttm","isIOS":false,"isAndroid":false,"isTiger":false,"isTHS":false,"isWeiXin":false,"isWeiXinMini":false,"isWeiBo":false,"isQQ":false,"isBaiduSwan":false,"isBaiduBox":false,"isDingTalk":false,"isToutiao":false,"isOnePlus":false,"isHuaWei":false,"isXiaomi":false,"isXiaomiWebView":false,"isOppo":false,"isVivo":false,"isSamsung":false,"isMobile":false},"href":"/m/news/2663017665","isCrawlerRequest":true}