South Korea Investigates Disappearance of 22 BTC From Police Storage

Authorities have launched an internal investigation and are examining the possibility of insider involvement.

South Korean police lose $1.5 million in confiscated Bitcoin

13.02.2026 - 10:45

220

2 min

Key points:

Police in Seoul’s Gangnam district discovered that 22 BTC seized as part of an investigation are missing.
The funds were withdrawn from a cold USB wallet, while the physical device itself remained in place.

The Gangnam Police Station in Seoul lost the seized bitcoins, which are currently worth about $1.5 million. Local outlet Donga was first to report the incident.

An internal audit revealed that 22 BTC had been transferred out of the cold USB wallet.

The bitcoins were handed over to Gangnam police in November 2021 as evidence. However, the loss went unnoticed for some time because the case had been suspended. Although the USB drive was not stolen, unknown actors successfully moved the funds.

Review Triggered by Broader Losses

The Northern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency has opened an internal probe. Investigators are working to determine how the breach occurred and whether any insider was involved. A spokesperson declined to provide further details, citing the ongoing investigation.

German authorities may confiscate $5 billion worth of bitcoins

Arkham Intelligence reported 45 000 BTC linked to a pirate site

The missing 22 BTC were discovered during a nationwide inspection of law enforcement agencies. The review was prompted by the recent disappearance of 320 bitcoins seized by the Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office.

According to local media reports, officials responsible for managing digital evidence in Gwangju mistakenly accessed a phishing website while attempting to transfer the confiscated assets. As a result, the cryptocurrency was stolen.

Author: