Ireland Case No. 3468Cannabis cultivation (proceeds of crime) · Co. Dublin · 24 Mar 2026
Gardaí open €30m bitcoin wallet seized from cannabis cultivator Clifton Collins
The Criminal Assets Bureau, with Europol support, accessed one of 12 bitcoin virtual wallets seized in 2019 from cannabis cultivator Clifton Collins, containing 500 bitcoins worth approximately €30 million. The 12 wallets, holding 6,000 bitcoin valued at €360 million, had been inaccessible since the access codes were lost in a fishing rod case.
- Reported
- Arrested
- Charged
- In court
- Verdict
- Sentenced
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports15 statements extracted from the articles
- whatGardaí seized bitcoin valued at an estimated €30 million that had been previously inaccessible. (irishtimes.com)
- whatIt is the first time Cab has accessed any of 12 virtual wallets containing 6,000 bitcoin valued at €360 million. (irishtimes.com)
- whatApproximately 500 bitcoin was seized during the operation, each valued at about €60,000. (irishtimes.com)
- whatClifton Collins, a 55-year-old former beekeeper, grew cannabis crops in rented houses and sold the drug to criminals including in Crumlin, Dublin. (irishtimes.com)
- whatCollins created 12 wallets for storing the bitcoin and recorded the digital keys in a document. (irishtimes.com)
- whatIn late 2020, Collins surrendered assets worth €1.2 million to the State as proceeds of crime. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe surrendered assets included €1 million in bitcoin, a two-seater Gyro aircraft, a camper van and a fishing boat. (irishtimes.com)
- whereCollins hid the document with the wallet codes in a fishing rod case at a rented property in Co Galway. (irishtimes.com)
- whereEuropol hosted operational meetings at its headquarters in The Hague, the Netherlands. (irishtimes.com)
- whenCollins invested in bitcoin in 2011 and 2012 when it was worth a fraction of its current value. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationThe breakthrough was made in an operation by the Criminal Assets Bureau supported by Europol. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationThe wallet opened was one of 12 uncovered after an operation targeting cannabis cultivator Clifton Collins and seized in 2019 when valued at €53 million. (irishtimes.com)
- chargeThe 500 bitcoins in the accessed wallet are described as proceeds of crime. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceClifton Collins was jailed for five years. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe codes to the virtual wallets were lost after being stored in a fishing rod case. (irishtimes.com)
The reporting
newest first- 24 Mar2026Gardaí open €30m bitcoin virtual wallet, first of 12 accessed since seizure in 2019
First report of Cab successfully accessing one of the 12 bitcoin wallets seized from Clifton Collins in 2019, after the access codes were lost for seven years.
convicted, Clifton Collins, 55, male, named, irish (judged from name)Clifton Collins