After years of dormancy, $144 million worth of Bitcoin stolen from the defunct darknet marketplace Abraxas has been moved to a mixing service. Learn about this unexpected transfer and the history of the Abraxas exit scam.
In a surprising turn of events, 4,800 Bitcoins, valued at $144 million, were recently transferred from a wallet associated with the now-defunct darknet marketplace Abraxas. This Bitcoin stash had remained untouched since Abraxas exit scammed in November 2015. Onchain analyst Zachxbt reported the movement, stating that an entity had moved these funds and also deposited them into a Bitcoin mixer.
Abraxas, which commenced operations in December 2014, disappeared from the dark web on November 5, 2015, leaving its customers and vendors in shock. The stolen Bitcoins were worth about $1.85 million at the time of the exit scam when Bitcoin was trading at $386 per unit. Notably, Abraxas operated alongside other infamous darknet marketplaces like Alphabay and Agora.
The reasons behind the recent movement of these dormant Bitcoins remain shrouded in mystery. Nevertheless, this transfer highlights the incredible appreciation in the value of Bitcoin over the years, with the stolen funds now worth significantly more than they were in 2015.