Clifton Collins-Linked Bitcoin Wallet Moves 500 BTC After 10 Years

Irish authorities, with Europol support, reportedly gained access to a second Clifton Collins-linked wallet holding 500 BTC, and Arkham Intelligence said the funds were later moved to Wintermute after about a decade of inactivity.

BTC

37d ago

Fact Check

All core elements of the claim are strongly corroborated. (1) A Clifton Collins-linked wallet did move 500 BTC: confirmed by CAB's official X post, Arkham Intelligence's alert, The Block, and crypto.news. (2) The value of ~$38 million is confirmed by The Block (~$38.7M) and PANews ($38M). (3) The 10-year dormancy is confirmed across all sources — Collins purchased the BTC in 2011-2012 and the wallets were inactive until March 2026. (4) The claim's nuance about 'an earlier report that Irish authorities had recovered the assets' is accurate: The Block's March 25, 2026 article documented the first 500 BTC recovery, and the May 19, 2026 event is a second, separate 500 BTC recovery from the same set of 12 wallets, bringing the total to 1,000 BTC. The slight ambiguity in the claim's framing (implying the wallet moved independently despite seizure) is clarified by the sources: both movements were law enforcement seizures by CAB and Europol, not independent wallet activity. The claim is substantively accurate.

Summary

A second Bitcoin wallet linked to convicted drug trafficker Clifton Collins has reportedly been recovered by Ireland’s Criminal Assets Bureau with support from Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre. The wallet is expected to unlock 500 BTC, worth about $38.7 million at the value cited in the report, and Arkham Intelligence said the funds were moved on Monday after sitting inactive for around 10 years. The Bitcoin was later transferred to Wintermute, suggesting a possible sale may follow. The report says this follows another 500 BTC recovery in March, when Irish authorities moved Bitcoin tied to the same case into Coinbase Custody. Authorities say Collins bought Bitcoin in late 2011 and early 2012 using proceeds from cannabis sales and split his holdings across 12 wallets, with private keys printed on paper and stored in a fishing rod case that later disappeared after his 2017 arrest.

Terms & Concepts

Bitcoin wallet: A tool or address used to hold and transfer Bitcoin, with control dependent on access to the associated private keys.
Private keys: Secret cryptographic credentials that give the holder control over cryptocurrency stored in a wallet.
Coinbase Custody: A custody service used to securely store digital assets on behalf of institutions or other asset holders.