Ireland’s Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) announced the seizure of an additional 500 Bitcoin, valued at approximately 27 million euros (around $31 million), reinforcing its crackdown on cryptocurrency linked to criminal activities. This recent confiscation raises the total Bitcoin seized by the agency in 2026 to 1,500 BTC, with an estimated combined value of $92 million.
The operation was conducted in partnership with Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre, which provided crucial operational coordination, technical support, and assistance with decrypting digital assets. Details about the owner of the seized wallet or the specifics of the ongoing investigation remain undisclosed, as CAB declined further comment.
This latest seizure follows a pattern traced back to a high-profile network of cryptocurrency holdings linked to Clifton Collins, a convicted drug dealer. Earlier this year, authorities gained access to a crypto wallet containing 500 Bitcoin, reportedly connected to Collins. Irish media reported that Collins once controlled around 6,000 Bitcoin split across a dozen wallets.
Collins is said to have acquired this Bitcoin between late 2011 and early 2012 using proceeds from drug trafficking. He stored the private keys on a single sheet of paper, hidden inside a fishing rod case at his rental home. The keys subsequently went missing after his landlord purportedly discarded Collins’ belongings following his arrest. Collins had claimed the fishing rod case had been stolen before the landlord entered the property.
More recently, wallet activity linked to Collins surfaced when 500 Bitcoin were transferred from a known Collins-associated address to an unknown destination. Those wallets still reportedly hold around 4,500 Bitcoin, currently worth roughly $277 million.
The CAB’s efforts are part of a broader initiative to target illicit funds disguised through cryptocurrencies, underscoring growing international collaboration with agencies like Europol. This follows similar crackdowns on criminal organizations using digital currencies to launder money and finance illegal operations.