US government moves $130 million in Bitcoin confiscated from Silk Road to Coinbase
The US previously filed to sell roughly $130 million worth of the seized BTC in January, and the transfer amount lines up with the announced sale.
The original address moved a total of 30,175 Bitcoin confiscated from Silk Road, with initial reports speculating that the entire amount would be moved to Coinbase. However, the majority of the BTC is being held unspent in the following address:
“bc1qjet9suh6lpyu8uwcseywkr9zcn55lawp83wzde”
The move occurred amid a major dip in Bitcoin that took its price to a weekly low of $64,500 per BTC before bouncing above the key $65,000 support level.
On-chain sleuth ZachXBT drew attention to the initial test transaction on social media.
Coinbase transfer
The transfer has drawn significant attention from the crypto community and raised questions about the government’s plans for its digital asset holdings.
The initial transaction included a test transfer of 0.001 BTC ($69) to a Coinbase address, suggesting meticulous planning. The transaction hash:
“9c3af4b48e66565f1da1da8278036fa1dbb09f2beaaca99c3504475390ba4590”
Coinbase deposit address:
“3KrZVU9Jz4UKHpKUtuvkEMX1tY8zeiTvX2.”
Following the announcement of this transfer, Bitcoin’s value dipped below $65,000 but slightly recovered to above now trading at $65,200, down by 4.7% in the last 24 hours. This movement mirrors the broader market downturn, with the CoinDesk 20 Index also falling by 4.7%.
Silkroad Bitcoin
The transferred Bitcoins come from a batch of approximately 50,000 BTC that the US government seized in late 2022, associated with the Silk Road website, a dark web marketplace the FBI shut down in 2013.
Blockchain analysis firm Arkham Intelligence has identified the receiving wallet as part of Coinbase, hinting at a possible preparation for sale or exchange by the government. The last major sale the government publicly reported was in March 2023 — when it sold 9,861 BTC for about $216 million.
The crypto community is closely monitoring the effects of this substantial transfer, speculating on the US government’s strategy for its remaining Bitcoin holdings. It is unclear whether the BTC will be sold immediately or slowly over time.
The development may influence investor sentiment and trigger discussions on the management and sale of seized digital assets, considering its potential impact on the digital assets market.
**Editor’s Note: Article updated to clarify the entire 30,175 was not moved to Coinbase and only 2,223 BTC are set to be sold based on previous announcements made by the DoJ.**
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