On the night of September 5-6, 2022, police arrested a 39-year-old man from Veenendaal on suspicion of laundering criminal money via crypto currency worth tens of millions of euros. Police tracked the man down after stolen bitcoins from a rogue software update of Electrum wallet came to him.
This trail prompted further investigation, which revealed that the man was converting bitcoin to the privacy coin monero and vice versa. This makes the cryptocurrency harder to track. His service was able to take place through the anonymous online network Bisq. With the money laundering, the man presumably made a lot of money.
Upon the man's arrest, his home was searched. In the process, several data carriers were seized. Police investigations are continuing, including into the digital payment instruments in the man's possession and the data carriers. Police were able to seize the expected profits the man would have made in money laundering in the form of crypto currency. The man was discharged Thursday, Sept. 8, and remains a suspect.
The investigation is being run by the cybercrime team of the Central Netherlands police, in cooperation with the cybercrime team of the East Netherlands police.
