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Irish authorities have restored access to a wallet containing 500 seized bitcoins., 2026/03/25 10:40:09
The Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) of Ireland has regained access to a previously lost cryptocurrency wallet containing 500 BTC. These funds are part of a total of 6000 BTC that were confiscated from convicted drug dealer Clifton Collins, known as “the Dub.”
According to the investigation, Collins acquired 6000 BTC between 2011 and 2012 using proceeds from marijuana sales when the price of Bitcoin was approximately $5. He divided the assets across 12 wallets, each holding 500 BTC. The former beekeeper printed the private keys on an A4 sheet and concealed them in an aluminum cap of a fishing rod tube in a rented residence in Ireland.
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In 2017, Collins was sentenced to five years in prison. His arrest was the result of a chance encounter: police stopped his vehicle for a routine check and discovered marijuana valued at around 2000 euros. This led to a large-scale search, during which a network of marijuana farms was uncovered.
While Collins was incarcerated, the landlord cleared out the house, and personal belongings were disposed of. The investigation initially assumed that the device containing the keys had been lost. In 2020, a court ordered the confiscation of the crypto assets as proceeds of criminal activity, but access to them remained unattainable.
The breakthrough in accessing one of the Bitcoin wallets was achieved through collaboration with the European Cybercrime Centre. Authorities reported that specialized decryption tools were utilized, allowing them to gain control over the address. The 500 BTC have already been transferred to a Coinbase account under the management of Irish authorities.
Previously, an officer from the Australian Federal Police’s asset confiscation unit successfully hacked a cryptocurrency wallet belonging to a suspect with assets worth $6 million.
