Irish Authorities Seize Another 500 Bitcoin in Criminal Proceeds

Irish authorities recovered 500 Bitcoin in criminal proceeds, bringing the total seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau to about $92 million in BTC for 2026.

Ireland's Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) confirmed the seizure of another 500 Bitcoin, currently worth about 27 million euros ($30.9 million), in collaboration with Europol's European Cybercrime Centre.

That brings the total Bitcoin seized by CAB in 2026 to 1,500 BTC, worth about $92.4 million, the law enforcement agency said in a social media post on Thursday. CAB said Europol had provided operational coordination, technical expertise and decryption support during the investigation.

The agency did not disclose the identity of the wallet owner or details of the underlying investigation, adding that it had no further comment.

The latest seizure comes months after CAB said it had gained access to and seized a cryptocurrency wallet containing 500 Bitcoin, which Irish media linked to a convicted drug dealer.

CAB seized another 500 BTC. Source: Criminal Assets Bureau

Following the previous seizure, The Irish Times reported that the wallet authorities accessed in March was one of 12 holding about 6,000 BTC once owned by Clifton Collins, a convicted drug dealer. The paper containing the wallet's private keys was reportedly lost.

While authorities haven't confirmed whether the latest seizure is linked to Collins, a wallet address associated with him moved 500 Bitcoin to an unknown address on Thursday. Wallets associated with Collins still hold 4,500 Bitcoin, currently worth about $277 million, as of Friday.

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Collins was arrested in 2017 after police searched his car and found a stash of cannabis, according to the Guardian.

Police said Collins used proceeds from his drug operation to purchase 6,000 Bitcoin in late 2011 and early 2012, spreading the holdings across 12 wallets. He stored the wallet keys on a single sheet of A4 paper, hidden inside the aluminum cap of a fishing rod case at his rental home.

Collins’ landlord allegedly discarded his belongings after his arrest. Collins claimed the fishing rod case was stolen before the landlord entered the property.

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