Arkham Intelligence has just detected a large Bitcoin transaction from Nucleus Marketplace, a dark web drug market that has been completely inactive for 9 years. Nucleus transferred $77.5 million into 3 private wallets while retaining $365 million.
These 'ancient Bitcoin whales' occasionally appear in this space, but a surviving darknet provider is a rare occurrence. The asset value of Nucleus has skyrocketed, but converting this BTC to fiat will not be simple.
Dark Web Bitcoin whales awaken
In the cryptocurrency space and finance in general, there is an immutable rule: money never sleeps. Today, the on-chain analytics firm Arkham Intelligence discovered a notable transaction from an almost forgotten source.
Nucleus Marketplace, a darknet market that has been silent for the past 9 years, has unexpectedly resumed operations to move more than $77.5 million in Bitcoin.
"Nucleus Marketplace is a darknet drug market, and it is believed that the founder was arrested by law enforcement or that this is an exit scam when the market ceased operations in 2016. Notably, the remaining Bitcoin in the Nucleus wallet has remained 'inactive' for nearly a decade until today," Arkham stated.
This defunct darknet market did not immediately move all of its Bitcoin, and Nucleus still retains about $365 million BTC. The price of Bitcoin has surged dramatically since the company's heyday. BTC had never surpassed $1,000 in 2016.
Whoever controls this wallet is acting quite cautiously when transferring these assets into 3 separate wallets.
Darknet Bitcoin transferred to 3 wallets | Source: Arkham Intelligence
Although the dark web may particularly attract attention, Bitcoin is surprisingly moving from wallets that have existed for decades. These ancient whales may originate from various sources, such as early miners or stolen assets that have not been laundered.
Transactions related to the darknet market are becoming increasingly rare after a series of legal crackdowns, but there are still anonymous wallets escaping control.
Although this darknet wallet may be new in 2025, it seems unlikely to have much impact on Bitcoin. Currently, it is impossible to know who controls the Nucleus wallet, it could be the original operator, an associate, or a hacker.
Regardless of who controls the wallet, converting this BTC to fiat without notice will not be easy. These wallets are continuously monitored, and any suspicious activity could trigger a response from the community.
