A former National Crime Agency officer has been ordered to repay more than £1.8 million after stealing Bitcoin seized during a dark web investigation.
Paul Chowles, 44, was jailed for five years and six months at Liverpool Crown Court in 2025 after pleading guilty to theft and money laundering. On 30 September 2026, the Crown Prosecution Service secured a confiscation order against him in the sum of £1,810,678.93.
Chowles stole and hid 50 Bitcoin that had been seized during an investigation into Silk Road 2.0, a dark web marketplace used by organised criminal networks to sell illegal goods. A total of 30 Bitcoin was later recovered from him.
At the time of the theft, the 50 Bitcoin was worth about £60,000. The sharp rise in the value of Bitcoin since then allowed prosecutors to obtain an order covering the full current value of the recovered coins as well as the wider criminal benefit.
Chowles had been part of the team analysing and extracting cryptocurrency from digital devices seized in the investigation. He later transferred 50 Bitcoin from a confiscated wallet and tried to hide the trail through a series of further cryptocurrency transactions.
Financial investigators traced the benefit he obtained and supported the confiscation proceedings so that he could not keep the profit from the offences.
Luke Clements, of the CPS Proceeds of Crime Division, said: “Paul Chowles exploited a position of trust for personal gain, stealing assets that had already been recovered through law enforcement action. Confiscation orders are a powerful tool in ensuring that crime does not pay. Today’s order sends a clear message that we will pursue offenders’ assets relentlessly and seek to recover criminal proceeds wherever they are hidden. The CPS Proceeds of Crime Division will continue to work closely with law enforcement partners to identify criminal benefit and take robust action to strip offenders of the profits of their crimes.”
By A.Ikechukwu
- UK: Employers face £60,000 fines and prison for hiring illegal delivery riders
- Former NCA officer ordered to repay more than £1.8 million after Bitcoin theft
- Police arrest dual British Iranian national over terror plot suspicion after RAF Fairford incident
- Peter Obi Urges Sober Reflection as Nigeria Marks 66 Years of Independence
- Harem Ahmed Abwbaker jailed for eight years over Channel boat deaths
