Irish authorities access 6,000 BTC stash bought in 2011 without keys, withdraw 1,500 BTC by 2026-07-03
In 2011, an Irish drug dealer bought around 6,000 BTC and hid the paper keys inside a fishing rod case, but the keys were later thrown away after his arrest, leaving the coins frozen for years. In 2026, with help from Europol, Irish authorities accessed the wallets without recovering the keys and have withdrawn 1,500 BTC so far, including 500 BTC on 2026-07-03. Around 4,500 BTC, valued at over $270 million, remains under potential law-enforcement control.