The largest amount of withdrawals caused panic in the cryptocurrency market.
In the largest cybercrime operation in German history, conducted by German law enforcement agencies jointly with the FBI, in mid-January 2024, about 50,000 bitcoins (BTC) were seized, amounting to approximately $2.1 billion..
50,000 BTC is the largest amount that the German security services have ever seized from criminals. The bitcoins were voluntarily transferred by one of the suspects to special wallets of the Federal Office for Criminal Affairs (Bundeskriminalamt, BKA). However, the final decision on further use of the cryptocurrency has not yet been made.
The investigation continues against two responsible persons: a 40-year-old German citizen and a 37-year-old Polish citizen, who are suspected of illegal distribution of copyrighted works, copyright infringement and subsequent money laundering. Both suspects are key figures of the major German portal movie2k.to, which until the end of May 2013 was engaged in the distribution of pirated content. The portal stopped working in May 2013. It is assumed that the funds received from this activity, including advertising on the site, were converted into bitcoins. Details of the investigation are not disclosed until it is completed.
The case attracted considerable attention due to the size of the assets seized and the complexity of the legal and financial implications. On January 17, 2024, the community was agitated by reports of the transfer of about 50,000 bitcoins to police accounts, which raised concerns about possible market fluctuations.
In the largest cybercrime operation in German history, conducted by German law enforcement agencies jointly with the FBI, in mid-January 2024, about 50,000 bitcoins (BTC) were seized, amounting to approximately $2.1 billion..
50,000 BTC is the largest amount that the German security services have ever seized from criminals. The bitcoins were voluntarily transferred by one of the suspects to special wallets of the Federal Office for Criminal Affairs (Bundeskriminalamt, BKA). However, the final decision on further use of the cryptocurrency has not yet been made.
The investigation continues against two responsible persons: a 40-year-old German citizen and a 37-year-old Polish citizen, who are suspected of illegal distribution of copyrighted works, copyright infringement and subsequent money laundering. Both suspects are key figures of the major German portal movie2k.to, which until the end of May 2013 was engaged in the distribution of pirated content. The portal stopped working in May 2013. It is assumed that the funds received from this activity, including advertising on the site, were converted into bitcoins. Details of the investigation are not disclosed until it is completed.
The case attracted considerable attention due to the size of the assets seized and the complexity of the legal and financial implications. On January 17, 2024, the community was agitated by reports of the transfer of about 50,000 bitcoins to police accounts, which raised concerns about possible market fluctuations.
