Ireland’s Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) reportedly pulled another 500 bitcoin out of a decade-dormant wallet this week, bringing its 2026 recovery total from a single cannabis dealer’s stash to 1,500 BTC, worth more than $92 million at current prices.
Key Takeaways:
Ireland’s CAB recovered 500 more BTC on July 2, 2026, pushing its 2026 total to 1,500 BTC.Europol supplied technical support that let CAB crack a third of Clifton Collins’ 12 wallets.About 4,500 BTC, worth roughly $275 million, remains locked in nine unaccessed wallets.CAB has not disclosed the technical method behind the wallet access, standard practice during an active case. Officials credit Europol with hosting meetings in The Hague and supplying the decryption resources that made the breach possible.
A Beekeeper Turned GrowerA Garda patrol spotted his Lexus parked in the Wicklow Mountains at 2:30 a.m. on February 7, 2017. A search turned up cannabis worth about €2,000. That stop led investigators to his Galway property, where they found more than 500 plants worth roughly €406,000.
A Fishing Rod Case Held the KeysDuring interviews with CAB, Collins reportedly attributed his cannabis operation to what he called “stupidity” and “addiction.” He served part of a five-year sentence under the Misuse of Drugs Act, with a portion of the term suspended.
Wallets Sat Dormant for Nearly a Decade 4,500 Bitcoin Remain LockedFor traders watching from the sidelines, the case is a reminder that coins written off as permanently lost can still surface years later, particularly when a government agency has the wallet under legal control and the resources to keep trying.
