UK Police Seize 20.21 Bitcoin Tied to Defunct Dark Web Markets
Summary
- Avon and Somerset Police in the UK said it had seized criminal proceeds including Bitcoin used in illegal dark web marketplaces.
- The investigation recovered assets worth 1,032,487 pounds, including 20.21 Bitcoin and other digital assets.
- Investigators said transaction records preserved on the blockchain can serve as critical evidence in tracing funds.
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UK police have seized criminal proceeds, including Bitcoin, linked to illegal dark web marketplaces.
Avon and Somerset Police said it recovered assets worth 1,032,487 pounds, or about $1.4 million, through the investigation, Decrypt reported on August 28. The haul included 20.21 Bitcoin, other digital assets and money held in bank accounts.
Investigators, working with a cybercrime unit, traced the flow of funds and found the assets were connected to dark web markets that operated from 2016 to 2019. The markets were used for crimes including drug trafficking and human trafficking, and have all since been shut down.
Anthony Davies, a financial investigator with Avon and Somerset Police, said many people think digital assets can help them avoid law enforcement. Transactions permanently recorded on the blockchain, however, can serve as critical evidence in investigations, he added.
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