$467K In Crypto Seized As Spain Cracks Down On Illegal Piracy Platform

bitcoinistPublicado em 2026-04-24Última atualização em 2026-04-24

Resumo

Spanish police seized €400,000 ($467,000) in cryptocurrency from two cold wallets hidden inside a wall thermometer during a raid in Almería. Three suspects were arrested in connection with the country’s largest illegal Spanish-language manga distribution platform, operational since 2014. The site generated over €4 million ($4.55 million) in ad revenue by offering pirated content. Authorities have not confirmed whether they can access the seized funds, as cold wallets require PINs or seed phrases. The case highlights challenges law enforcement face in handling crypto seizures, illustrated by custody failures in other countries like South Korea.

Spanish police made an unusual discovery during their raid — two crypto cold wallets tucked inside a household wall thermometer. The devices contained roughly 400,000 euros, about $467,000.

Authorities arrested three suspects in Almería in connection with what officials described as the biggest illegal Spanish-language manga distribution platform in the country’s history.

The site had been running since 2014. Over roughly a decade, it pulled in more than 4 million euros — around $4.55 million — mostly through advertising revenue. Visitors got free access to pirated manga while the operators quietly collected ad money in the background.

Spain’s Interior Ministry confirmed the arrests and the seizure. The investigation was opened in June 2025 after rights holders filed complaints against the platform.

Authorities uncovered an unusual find during the raid: two crypto cold wallets hidden inside a household wall thermometer. Source: Ministerio Del Interior

Whether Police Can Actually Access The Funds Remains Unclear

Seizing a cold wallet is one thing. Getting inside it is another.

Cold wallets require a PIN or a seed phrase to unlock. Without those credentials, the hardware is essentially useless — the funds stay locked, inaccessible to anyone, including law enforcement.

Officials have not said whether they obtained the information needed to open the devices. Spain’s Interior Ministry had not responded to requests for comment before the story was published.

The case puts a spotlight on a problem that police departments worldwide are still working through. Hardware wallets are showing up in investigations that have nothing to do with crypto fraud or digital currency schemes. Piracy operations, it turns out, are now storing earnings the same way crypto investors do.

BTCUSD currently trading at $77,860. Chart: TradingView

South Korea Has Faced Its Own Custody Failures

Even when authorities can access seized crypto, holding onto it has proven difficult. South Korea has dealt with two high-profile losses of confiscated digital assets in recent years.

In one case, about 22 Bitcoin — valued at $1.5 million at the time — went missing from the Gangnam Police Station.

The funds had been seized in 2021 and vanished without the cold wallet being physically stolen, according to reports. A nationwide audit of digital asset custody practices uncovered the loss.

Featured image from DualShockers, chart from TradingView

Perguntas relacionadas

QWhat unusual item did Spanish police discover during their raid that contained the seized funds?

ATwo crypto cold wallets hidden inside a household wall thermometer.

QHow much money, in US dollars, was contained in the seized crypto wallets?

AApproximately $467,000.

QWhat was the primary source of revenue for the illegal manga distribution platform?

AAdvertising revenue.

QWhat is one major challenge law enforcement faces when seizing a cold wallet?

AAccessing the funds without the required PIN or seed phrase.

QWhich country was cited as an example of facing high-profile losses of confiscated digital assets?

ASouth Korea.

Leituras Relacionadas

Must-Watch Events Next Week｜CLARITY Act Could Face Senate Vote; SpaceX, Circle to Report Earnings (8.3-8.9)

**Summary: Key Events and Developments to Watch (August 3-9)** The upcoming week is marked by significant financial disclosures, key legislative deadlines, and notable product updates. **Major Financial Events:** Several companies are scheduled to release their Q2 2026 earnings. American Bitcoin (ABTC) will report on August 3, followed by SpaceX and Hut 8 Mining Corp. on August 4, and Circle on August 5. Notably, a significant portion of SpaceX shares (up to 12% of total shares) will be unlocked on August 6 following their earnings release. **Key Legislative Deadline:** The U.S. Senate faces an August 7 deadline to secure 60 votes for the CLARITY Act, a bipartisan bill aiming to establish a federal regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies. The Senate may hold a full vote on the bill during the week. **Economic Data:** The U.S. July Non-Farm Payrolls report will be released on August 7, providing crucial labor market data. **Technology & Product Updates:** * **Shutdowns:** DeFi portfolio tracker Zapper and wallet app Ctrl Wallet will cease operations on August 3. * **Upgrades:** LayerZero will deprecate its v1 relayers on August 3. XRP Ledger's new version 3.3.0, featuring five new functions, is expected next week. * **AI:** Elon Musk announced that the advanced Grok 4.6 AI model is set for release around August 7. * **Bitcoin:** The BIP-110 forced signaling for a potential Bitcoin network change is scheduled to begin around August 8. **Other Notable Events:** Chinese robotics firm Unitree Tech has set its preliminary price inquiry for its IPO for August 5. South Korean exchange Upbit will delist AQT and AERGO tokens on August 3.

marsbitHá 10m

Must-Watch Events Next Week｜CLARITY Act Could Face Senate Vote; SpaceX, Circle to Report Earnings (8.3-8.9)

marsbitHá 10m

Stocks Are Plummeting More Sharply Than Cryptocurrencies. Where Has the Money Gone?

Stock Markets Plunge Deeper Than Cryptocurrencies: Where Did the Money Go? In late July, Seoul's Kospi index triggered circuit breakers for two consecutive days, plummeting over 40% from its June high. The collapse was led by heavyweight stocks like SK Hynix, whose record profits still disappointed investors, and devastating leveraged ETFs, with one major product losing over 83% of its value. This signaled a global, forced deleveraging targeting the most crowded trades. Interestingly, while stocks exhibited extreme volatility akin to crypto markets, Bitcoin rose nearly 15% in July after a prior steep drop. Analysis shows the money fleeing equities did not flow into Bitcoin. Instead, Bitcoin had already absorbed its sell-off in May-June, when U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs saw historic outflows. The true safe-haven beneficiary was gold, whose price rose over 20% year-on-year, highlighting a decoupling between Bitcoin and gold as "digital gold." The sell-off was a targeted unwinding of leveraged positions in tech and semiconductors, accelerated by broker-dealer risk management and shifts in the AI narrative, including new competition from Chinese memory chipmakers. The retreat path was clear: from high-valuation tech stocks to cash and U.S. Treasuries, then to gold. For Bitcoin to attract sustained institutional inflows, conditions like eased global liquidity pressure, a "soft-landing" Fed rate cut, and U.S. regulatory clarity via legislation like the stalled CLARITY Act are needed. Currently, Bitcoin is not a safe haven but an already-cleared asset. Its low correlation with tech stocks, however, makes it a potential diversification play for institutional portfolios once the storm passes. The money isn't here yet, but the positioning is underway.

marsbitHá 10m

Stocks Are Plummeting More Sharply Than Cryptocurrencies. Where Has the Money Gone?

marsbitHá 10m

In Conversation with Ray Dalio: We Are Currently in an AI Bubble, with 1% of My Portfolio in Bitcoin

Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, warns in an interview that the current AI boom shows classic bubble characteristics, which could lead to significant economic downturns as seen in past cycles like 1929 or 2000. He explains that speculative enthusiasm, fueled by debt and overvaluation, often precedes a crash when rising rates or taxation force asset sales, causing widespread losses and recession. Dalio also outlines his "Big Cycle" theory, describing an approximate 80-year pattern where widening wealth gaps, massive government deficits, and shifting geopolitical power (like China's rise) create internal conflict and global instability. He emphasizes that we are in a late-cycle, transitional phase where traditional powers like the US and UK face decline. For personal wealth protection, Dalio advises diversification beyond cash into assets like stocks, bonds, real estate, and particularly gold, which he prefers over Bitcoin. While he holds about 1% of his portfolio in Bitcoin as a non-printable hard asset, he views gold as more secure from technological or governmental threats. Regarding AI's impact, Dalio believes it will disproportionately benefit capital owners, worsening inequality by replacing both physical and cognitive labor. He suggests that human intuition and emotional intelligence, combined with AI, will be key for future workers. On taxation, Dalio argues that wealth taxes are impractical and risk triggering asset sell-offs, reducing productive investment. He points to the UK as a cautionary example of debt, low productivity, and political strife. Geopolitically, Dalio foresees a more regionalized world, with the US showing weakness in prolonged conflicts like with Iran, akin to past imperial declines. The ideal outcome, he suggests, is coexisting powerful blocs (e.g., Americas, China-Asia Pacific) without major war.

marsbitHá 4h

In Conversation with Ray Dalio: We Are Currently in an AI Bubble, with 1% of My Portfolio in Bitcoin

marsbitHá 4h

Daily 7.2 Trillion KRW: Foreign Capital's Record Net Buying on Friday! Wall Street Says Headwinds for Korean Stock Fund Flows Have Subsided

South Korean stock market sees a dramatic shift in fund flows. On July 31, foreign investors made a record net purchase of approximately KRW 7.2 trillion in KOSPI stocks, marking a fundamental reversal from the persistent large-scale net outflows seen in previous months. This contributed to a significant narrowing of foreign net selling in July to KRW 9.8 trillion, down sharply from KRW 48.4 trillion in June and KRW 44.5 trillion in May. Simultaneously, domestic institutional pressure eased. South Korean pension funds and asset managers turned to a net buying position in July, purchasing KRW 1.0 trillion worth of KOSPI shares, contrasting with net sales in May and June. Market volatility is expected to be dampened by new financial regulations. Effective July 31, the Financial Services Commission tightened access for retail investors to single-stock leveraged ETFs by raising the minimum cash deposit requirement. Trading volumes for these products subsequently dropped to about 50% of their monthly average. Citigroup Research maintains its year-end KOSPI target of 10,000 points. The firm cites several supportive factors: the substantial easing of headwinds from capital outflows, a robust fundamental outlook for the semiconductor sector, historically low market valuations, strong economic fundamentals, and the potential for policy support from financial authorities if needed.

marsbitHá 4h

Daily 7.2 Trillion KRW: Foreign Capital's Record Net Buying on Friday! Wall Street Says Headwinds for Korean Stock Fund Flows Have Subsided

marsbitHá 4h

Breaking! OpenAI's Next-Gen AI Solves 10 Fields Medal-Level Problems

OpenAI's next-generation AI model Astra achieves breakthroughs in 10 long-standing mathematical conjectures. The results, including constructing the first known infinite, finitely presented non-sofic group—resolving a major question since 1999—and advancing the high-dimensional sphere packing problem beyond a 46-year-old barrier, are detailed in a 249-page paper. Key proofs have been formally verified using Lean 4. The AI also refuted a rigidity conjecture by Fields Medalist Alain Connes. According to OpenAI, generating these proofs cost under $2,000. Experts describe the findings as potentially Fields Medal-worthy and a landmark moment for both mathematics and AI, showcasing the model's ability to produce profound, human-like reasoning across diverse fields like group theory, geometry, and operator algebras.

marsbitHá 5h

Breaking! OpenAI's Next-Gen AI Solves 10 Fields Medal-Level Problems

marsbitHá 5h

Trading

Spot
活动图片

Categorias popularesright-arrow

Etiquetas Popularesright-arrow