Cyber police in Germany say they have convinced a pirate operating an illegal movie streaming website to hand over 50,000 bitcoins worth EUR 2 billion, their largest haul to date.
The State Criminal Police Office (LKA) and the Dresden Public Prosecutor’s Office in Saxony were behind the operation that saw the suspect, believed to operate the movie2k.to illegal streaming website, to hand over the cryptocurrency.
The authorities were investigating two suspects, two men aged 37 and 40. Neither of them have been named.
The cryptocurrency was seized in mid-January, LKA spokesman Kay Anders told local media on Tuesday. “This is the most extensive haul of Bitcoins by law enforcement authorities in the Federal Republic of Germany to date.”
Anders added: “The Bitcoins were seized after they were voluntarily transferred by a suspect to official wallets provided by the BKA” (the Federal Criminal Police Office).
German media reported that the American Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was also involved in the operation.
The recovery of the crypto assets comes after another suspect believed to have been operating the website. Was taken into custody in 2019 and handed over EUR 25 million in assets.
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Story By: Joseph Golder, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash
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