Australian police seized $4.1 million worth of Bitcoin related to illegal activities in the dark web market

The New South Wales police in Australia seized 52.3 bitcoins, worth approximately 5.7 million AUD (about 4.1 million USD), during a 15-month investigation and arrested two suspects allegedly operating a dark web market in Ingleburn, Sydney.

The police stated that the seized bitcoins are suspected to be related to illegal activities on the dark web associated with drug and weapon trafficking. This operation was carried out by the state crime command's cyber crime unit, Strike Force Andalusia, and is considered one of the largest cryptocurrency seizures related to the dark web in Australia. Meanwhile, AUSTRAC has recently strengthened its anti-money laundering regulations for domestic virtual asset service providers and cryptocurrency trading platforms.