A shocking case of abuse of power within the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has resulted in a prison sentence: former investigator Paul Chowles has been sentenced to 5.5 years for stealing 50 bitcoins, worth around £59,000 at the time, and now valued at over £4.4 million.
Stole Directly from Evidence
Chowles, now 42, was part of an elite NCA team investigating Silk Road 2.0 in 2014 — a darknet marketplace that emerged after the FBI shut down the original Silk Road. His job was to analyze digital data seized from the market’s administrator, Thomas White. During this process, Chowles gained access to private keys for a wallet containing 97 BTC. In May 2017, he quietly transferred 50 of them to his own “retirement wallet.”
The theft remained unnoticed for years, with initial suspicion falling on White himself due to his technical expertise. It wasn’t until 2022, when White was released from prison, that he raised the alarm, suggesting that only NCA officials could have accessed the funds. This triggered a new investigation.
The Blockchain Never Forgets
Police enlisted the help of blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis. Using their Reactor tool, investigators traced the flow of stolen BTC — despite efforts to launder it through the anonymizing service Bitcoin Fog. The analysis linked several crypto wallets directly to Chowles. The investigation gained further traction when authorities found a device at his home containing matching private keys.
One wallet holding about 30 BTC had been dormant for nearly five years, reinforcing suspicions that it was meant to store the stolen crypto long-term.
Confession and Verdict
In May 2025, Chowles pled guilty to theft, money laundering, and concealing criminal property. He was dismissed from the NCA shortly before sentencing. A judge sentenced him to 5.5 years in prison.
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