Irish Weed Dealer Loses Millions In Bitcoin After Police Raid
How A Missing Fishing Rod Lost A Weed Cultivator’s Multi-Million Dollar Fortune
If you had access to a digital fortune worth over $67 million, how would you hide the code? One Irish drug dealer thought he had a fairly good plan – until it all came crashing down.
Dublin native Clifton Collins was arrested in 2017 by Irish police. For over a decade, Collins had been secretly growing cannabis at various rental properties. He also purchased bitcoin with his earnings, and amassed a huge fortune after the price of bitcoin rose over the decade. It is illegal to grow, sell, or use cannabis recreationally in Ireland, so Collins would be in hot water if he ever got caught. Sure enough, police caught on to his activities and discovered his secretive cultivation space.
Since Collins’ fortune was created through crime, it would need to be seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau. This is where things get really messy.
Collins got nervous when he realized how much money he had amassed, so he distributed his bitcoin collection among twelve different digital accounts. Each account had its own secret code, and Collins picked a hiding spot for the codes. He printed them on a piece of paper, rolled it up, and placed it in the cap of a fishing rod, which was then placed in one of the homes he had rented.
Collins was able to hand over a chunk of the fortune, but not all of it: when authorities tried to seize the money, they couldn’t find the fishing rod. That’s because his belongings were tossed by the rental property’s landlord after the arrest took place.
Is The Code Out There Somewhere?
It’s not likely that a worldwide search for the multi-million dollar fishing rod will be worth it. The Irish Times reported that workers at a nearby dump told police that they had seen fishing gear among other waste, and it was probably sent to Germany or China to be incinerated.
To this day, the fishing rod has not been found, and even if it was, the money would technically belong to officials.
Here’s What Collins Is Up To Now
After what he’s experienced, would you expect Collins to act like a bitter, thwarted Scooby-Doo criminal? Don’t be so quick to judge. When Collins was arrested, he told police that it was his responsibility to come to terms with the fortune’s loss, and that it was punishment for his own stupidity.
Additionally, police believe what he has told them regarding the mystery of the missing codes.
Now, Collins is serving his sentence at Wheatfield Prison in Dublin. Reportedly, he had been learning about horticulture and working in the facility’s gardens. He had previously worked as a beekeeper and security guard, so these activities are likely enticing – though they certainly won’t result in a bitcoin fortune.
