Czech police arrest infamous darknet operator in Bitcoin-for-favors scandal

The man behind Sheep Marketplace, a defunct darknet hub, now faces fresh charges after allegedly funneling $45 million in Bitcoin to Czech officials in the justice ministry. Prosecutors confirm the probe covers money laundering and illegal drug operations, signaling a complex criminal web.

According to a local report from Deník N, Czech police stormed the Břeclav residence of Tomáš Jiřikovský late Thursday evening, detaining the convicted drug trafficker after an attempted rooftop escape. The raid followed months of scrutiny into a 468 Bitcoin (BTC) donation, worth roughly $45 million at the time, which Jiřikovský allegedly made to the Ministry of Justice earlier this year.

Chief State Prosecutor Radim Dragoun confirmed the operation targeted suspicions of money laundering and narcotics trafficking, with investigators seizing evidence tied to both the donation and Jiřikovský’s darknet past.

From darknet profits to political influence: Unpacking Jiřikovský’s Bitcoin scheme

The arrest of Tomáš Jiřikovský represents more than just another darknet operator facing justice. It exposes how illicit crypto wealth attempted to infiltrate the highest levels of Czech governance.

According to court documents from his 2017 trial, Jiřikovský amassed his Bitcoin fortune through Sheep Marketplace, an underground platform that facilitated over 680 BTC in drug sales before he abruptly shut it down in 2013. In a brazen exit scam, he allegedly siphoned an additional 841 BTC from user accounts, building a war chest that would later fund his controversial political donation.

A conviction that didn’t stick

Despite receiving a nine-year prison sentence in 2017 for embezzlement, drug trafficking, and illegal arms possession, Jiřikovský served only half his term before being released on parole in 2021. Czech authorities never recovered the bulk of his Bitcoin holdings, a failure that now haunts the justice system as those same coins reappeared in government coffers.

The 468 BTC donation, traced by blockchain analysts to wallets linked with Nucleus Marketplace, another darknet operation, arrived at a politically sensitive moment. With national elections approaching, the scandal has become Prime Minister Petr Fiala’s administration’s most damaging crisis, undermining public trust in the ruling ODS party.

The fallout and failed cover-up

Former Justice Minister Pavel Blažek’s June resignation marked only the beginning of the political earthquake. His successor, Eva Decroix, commissioned auditing firm Grant Thornton to investigate the donation, a move that revealed damning conclusions.

The audit determined the ministry “should not have accepted the bitcoin donation” due to clear red flags about its criminal origins. More explosively, it suggested ministry officials may have violated anti-money laundering laws by processing the transaction.