UK Police Seize £1M in Crypto Assets Tied to Darknet Markets
Avon and Somerset Police said August 27 that its Financial Investigation Unit seized cryptocurrency and cash worth £1,032,487.86 under the Proceeds of Crime Act. The forfeited assets included 20.21 Bitcoin, other crypto holdings and bank funds, making the force’s largest crypto seizure since wallet-freezing powers took effect in 2024.
Investigators said the assets belonged to a now-deceased individual previously convicted of money laundering. Using specialist tracing and cyber-investigation techniques, officers linked the holdings to darknet marketplaces active between 2016 and 2019, where blockchain records helped connect digital assets to alleged proceeds of criminal activity.
A court approved forfeiture after finding the cryptocurrency and associated funds represented proceeds of unlawful conduct. Police said recovered Proceeds of Crime Act funds are reinvested into community and policing initiatives, while the case shows crypto tracing can turn historical on-chain activity into recoverable criminal property even years after the original transactions.
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