Research: The scale of crypto assets linked to illicit activities and within reach of law enforcement has exceeded $75 billion, prompting other countries to consider following the United States in asset seizure.

BlockBeats News, October 9th, according to Bloomberg, Chainalysis research shows that over $75 billion in cryptocurrency assets related to illicit activities and "on-chain" and within reach of various countries' law enforcement agencies. Various governments may consider following the U.S. in using seizures as reserves.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bennett stated in August that the U.S. has currently seized around $15 to $20 billion worth of Bitcoin. Chainalysis found that as of 2025, illicit entity on-chain balances are almost $15 billion, with downstream wallets (at least 10% of funds coming from crime) holding over $60 billion.

Cryptocurrency controlled by darknet market administrators and vendors exceeds $40 billion, of which $15 billion is held directly by illicit actors, with Bitcoin accounting for approximately 75%. Along with Ethereum and stablecoins, this has surged by 259% compared to five years ago. Downstream wallets show a similar trend, with wallets related to the darknet having a compound annual growth rate of over 200%.

However, the ability of authorities to access this $75 billion is questionable. Despite a significant increase in law enforcement efforts to combat cryptocurrency crime in recent years, the skills, international cooperation, and funding required to identify, track, and seize criminals' digital assets continue to be challenging.