🔥 From Prince Group to Silk Road: the top 5 largest BTC confiscations in history.
The unprecedented special operation of the USA and the United Kingdom took away 127,271 BTC from criminals — a record $14 billion! This case resonates with the legendary Silk Road and shows: crypto is no longer 'untouchable'.
💥 Crypto is no longer a hiding place for criminals
Previously, Bitcoin seemed like the perfect tool for anonymous machinations. Today, however, governments worldwide have learned to track digital flows and confiscate assets. Companies like Chainalysis, Elliptic, and TRM Labs now help authorities unravel even complex schemes involving mixers and anonymous wallets.
Large-scale international operations — from Silk Road to Prince Group — show a new reality: the state is no longer just watching, it is reclaiming stolen crypto assets.
🏆 Top-5 loud BTC confiscations:
1️⃣ Prince Group — $14 billion
A joint operation between the USA and the UK: 127,271 BTC confiscated from the Cambodian conglomerate Prince Group. Behind the facade of development projects, large-scale online fraud was hidden. Cryptocurrency was converted into properties in London, Picasso paintings, and other luxurious assets.
The head of the Chen Ji group risks up to 40 years in prison, and his accomplices are already under investigation.
2️⃣ Silk Road — Ross Ulbricht
After the founder of the darknet platform was arrested in 2013, the US began tracking millions of BTC. In 2020, 69,370 BTC were confiscated.
Hype detail: in 2025, Donald Trump pardoned Ulbricht, causing a real crypto scandal.
3️⃣ 50,000 BTC of James Zhong
In 2021, the FBI seized 50,676 BTC that had been hidden for decades by James Zhong from Georgia, taking advantage of a vulnerability in Silk Road.
Zhong's treasure was a true 'time capsule': flash drives with wallet keys were found in a popcorn can!
4️⃣ Germany — Movie2K
The first large-scale confiscation in Europe: 50,000 BTC seized from operators of the pirate site Movie2K in 2024. The assets were transferred to state addresses and later sold for $2.9 billion.
5️⃣ China — PlusToken
A massive pyramid that deceived over 2 million people. 194,775 BTC, 833,083 ETH, and hundreds of millions in other cryptocurrencies have been seized. According to CryptoQuant estimates, China has already sold nearly the entire volume — about $20 billion.
⚡ Conclusion:
Crypto is no longer 'beyond the law.' Decentralization technologies do not save from responsibility; on the contrary, they make everything more transparent. States have learned to 'read' the blockchain, and every new confiscation changes the rules of the game.
💡 Crypto crimes are increasingly ending up in court with billion-dollar recoveries. And what’s even more important — blockchain technologies now work not only for criminals but also for justice.
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