Ex-NCA officer who worked on Silk Road operation ordered to repay £1.8M for stealing seized Bitcoin
Paul Chowles helped himself to 50 coins while examining devices linked to Silk Road 2.0
Former National Crime Agency (NCA) officer Paul Chowles has been ordered to repay more than £1.8 million ($2.4 million) for stealing 50 Bitcoin seized during an investigation into Silk Road 2.0. The 44-year-old transferred the stolen coins to an address under his control in May 2017, dividing them into smaller amounts and routing them through a mixing service.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) valued the Bitcoin at over £4.4 million ($5.8 million) by the time of his sentencing in July 2025, reducing Chowles' repayment to £1,970,759.27. Chowles, who worked on the NCA investigation into criminal activity on the original Silk Road, was dismissed from the agency and sentenced to five years and six months in prison after pleading guilty to theft, transferring criminal property, and concealing criminal property.
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