Ireland’s Criminal Assets Bureau Seizes Another 500 Bitcoin With Europol Support

Ireland’s Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) confirmed it has seized another 500 Bitcoin in cooperation with Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre, bringing the agency’s total Bitcoin seizures in 2026 to 1,500 BTC, according to a social media post issued Thursday. According to Cointelegraph, CAB said Europol provided operational coordination, technical expertise, and decryption support during the investigation. The agency did not identify the wallet owner or provide details about the underlying case, stating it had no further comment. The latest action follows an earlier CAB announcement that it had gained access to and seized a cryptocurrency wallet containing 500 Bitcoin, which Irish media linked to a convicted drug dealer.

The Irish Times previously reported that the wallet accessed in March was one of 12 wallets that once held about 6,000 BTC owned by Clifton Collins, a convicted drug dealer, and that a paper containing the private keys was reportedly lost. Authorities have not confirmed whether the newest seizure is connected to Collins. However, a wallet address associated with Collins moved 500 Bitcoin to an unknown address on Thursday, while wallets linked to him still held 4,500 Bitcoin as of Friday. Collins was arrested in 2017 after police searched his car and found cannabis, according to the Guardian. Police said Collins used proceeds from his drug operation to buy 6,000 Bitcoin in late 2011 and early 2012, distributing the holdings across 12 wallets and storing the keys on a single A4 sheet hidden inside the aluminum cap of a fishing rod case at his rental home. Collins’ landlord allegedly discarded his belongings after the arrest, while Collins claimed the fishing rod case was stolen before the landlord entered the property.