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Comment by arcticbull | Hacker News Reader

At one point in ~2017 the Bulgarian equivalent to the FBI was the single largest holder after Satoshi, from when they busted a money laundering operation. [1]

[1] https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2017/12/07/the-bulgarian-go...

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Heh, the Bulgarian government is so corrupt that they are all probably fighting and trying to find a way to launder the previously seized BTC used in money laundering.

No doubt, I couldn't find any data on its eventual disposition other than 'we dont have it anymore.'

Borislav lost the key

many such cases

According to a bivol.bg (reliable investigative news), the bitcoins were sold at a private auction with the help of Deloitte and the (real) FBI in December 2017, bringing 6 billion BGN (~3 billion EUR). Apparently at a cabinet meeting the money was earmarked for procuring new fighter aircraft (the current ones are obsolete and very poorly maintained).

There was an acquisition of F-16s in 2022 for $1.3 billion, which still leaves 1.5 billion EUR from the seized money.

https://bivol.bg/bg-bitcoin-deal.html

Thank you so much! Nice to have closure haha.

It's wild to think in a way they bought fighter jets with bitcoins.

That they bought fighter jets with crime, that bought bitcoins. I wonder what the money loops of corruption look like?

Man, should’ve waited a bit. They’d get a lot more bang for buck so to say.

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