- $150 million USD seized in crypto theft operation across 12 countries.
- 45 arrests executed on April 13, 2026, targeting theft rings.
- Crypto Fear & Greed Index hits 12 amid market stability.
Europol-led operation arrested 45 suspects and seized $150 million USD in cryptocurrency assets across 12 countries on April 13, 2026. Raids targeted blockchain theft rings. Europol detailed the action in a statement.
Europol Directs Multi-Country Raids
Europol's European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) led the effort. Authorities executed 28 search warrants. Teams recovered 2,100 BTC worth $150 million USD at April 13 closing prices.
Bitcoin closed at $71,881 USD, up 1.4% that day, per CoinMarketCap. The Crypto Fear & Greed Index hit 12, per Alternative.me.
"This operation disrupts networks stealing from exchanges and DeFi platforms," said Catherine De Bolle, Europol executive director. EC3 worked with FBI, Interpol and police in Asia and Europe.
Investigators tracked wallet movements over six months, Europol stated.
Theft Rings Used Phishing, Malware Exploits
Suspects deployed phishing, malware and smart contract exploits. Groups laundered funds via mixers like Tornado Cash successors. Chainalysis linked $450 million USD in illicit flows to these networks last year.
Chainalysis reported a 20% drop in crypto thefts quarter-over-quarter. Its analysis tied some groups to North Korean hackers.
"Blockchain forensics traced 85% of stolen funds," said Kim Grauer, Chainalysis research director. Data aided arrests in five Asian and seven European countries.
Ethereum closed at $2,211 USD, up 1.1%. Suspects hit Ethereum DeFi protocols, causing $300 million USD losses in 2025, officials said.
FBI Seizes USDT, BNB in US Raids
FBI's Virtual Asset Unit seized $45 million USD in USDT in California and New York. Agents froze 15 wallets with $9 million USD in BNB.
BNB closed at $604.37 USD, up 2.1%. XRP hit $1.33 USD, up 0.7%.
"Theft rings caused $1.2 billion USD in victim losses last year," said Sarah Chen, FBI Cyber Division deputy director. Her team used wallet clustering.
SecurityWeek reported clipboard hijacker malware tactics.
Exchanges Strengthen Security Post-Raids
Binance and Coinbase accelerated patches. Both added multi-signature wallets and AI anomaly detection.
FATF backed stricter KYC for crypto providers. EU and US rules require monitoring of transactions over 1,000 EUR.
"New protocols block 95% of known exploits," Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin posted on X in April 2026. EIP-778 launched the prior month.
DeFi value locked rose 3% to $120 billion USD, per DefiLlama.
Markets Hold Steady After Crypto Theft Operation
Bitcoin stayed above $71,000 USD on April 13. Spot volume rose 25% on Binance and Coinbase.
Ether and BNB gained over 1%. USDT held $1.00 USD peg.
Glassnode research head Alex Thorn noted 40% lower on-chain theft volumes year-to-date.
Bitcoin futures open interest rose 5% on CME Group.
Regulators Plan Ongoing Crypto Theft Operations
Raids boosted Europol data-sharing. G7 ministers target unified blockchain forensics by Q3 2026.
Singapore's MAS fined two exchanges $5 million USD for security lapses.
"Global action protects the $2.5 trillion USD crypto market," said Juwan Sarvestani, TRM Labs investigations head. TRM provided attribution tools.
Europol plans quarterly crypto theft operations through 2027. Leaders pledged $500 million USD for quantum-resistant encryption.
