Ex-NCA officer ordered to repay more than £1.8m following Bitcoin theft

Press Release Fraud and economic crime National news

A former National Crime Agency (NCA) officer has been ordered to repay more than £1.8million after stealing valuable cryptocurrency that had been seized as part of an investigation into online crime on the dark web.

Paul Chowles, 44, was jailed for five years and six months at Liverpool Crown Court in 2025 after pleading guilty to theft and money laundering.  

He stole and hid 50 Bitcoin that was seized during an investigation into a dark web marketplace used by organised criminal networks for selling illegal goods. A total of 30 Bitcoin was subsequently recovered from Chowles.

At the time of the theft, 50 Bitcoin was valued at approximately £60,000. However, due to the significant increase in the value of Bitcoin, the Crown Prosecution Service was able to secure a confiscation order against Chowles today in the sum of £1,810,678.93, which included the total value of the recovered 30 Bitcoin.

The Bitcoin had been recovered following an investigation into the dark web marketplace Silk Road 2.0. As part of the team working on the case, Chowles took part in the analysis and extraction of cryptocurrency from digital devices seized during the investigation.