Police Crack $35M Bitcoin Wallet of Convicted Cannabis Grower After Decade-Long Hunt
Irish police and Europol have accessed a Bitcoin wallet linked to convicted cannabis grower Clifton Collins. The wallet, untouched for nearly a decade, held 500 BTC—now worth around $35 million. This marks the first successful breach of any of Collins' 12 wallets since his arrest in 2017. Clifton Collins purchased 6,000 Bitcoin between 2011 and 2012, dividing them equally across 12 digital wallets. He stored the private keys inside a fishing rod case, which was later discarded in a landfill after his 2017 arrest. In 2020, an Irish High Court ordered the confiscation of all 6,000 BTC, then valued at roughly €53 million.
On March 24, 2026, authorities moved 500 BTC from one of Collins' wallets to Coinbase. Investigators now believe the same method used to unlock this wallet could grant access to the remaining 11. These hold an estimated €330 million in Bitcoin, including the 5,500 BTC Collins still technically owns. If all wallets are unlocked, the seizure would become the largest single asset recovery in the bureau's history.
Collins currently retains 5,500 BTC, now worth about $389 million. The recent transfer suggests authorities may soon recover the remaining funds. No further public details about the investigation have been confirmed.
