Ex-NCA Officer Gets 5 Years for Swiping 50 BTC from Dark Web Kingpin – Crypto Justice Served Cold
Crooked cop meets crypto karma: A former UK National Crime Agency officer just got slapped with a 5-year sentence for pocketing 50 Bitcoin during a dark web bust. Talk about occupational hazard.
The irony? Stealing from criminals still makes you a criminal – especially when you leave a blockchain paper trail. The ex-officer thought he'd pulled off the perfect heist, until the immutable ledger struck back.
While traditional bankers get golden parachutes for billion-dollar fraud, this small-time crook gets a concrete bed. The crypto world doesn't do slap-on-the-wrist justice – and that's why decentralization terrifies the old guard.
Abuse of position to divert seized Bitcoin
In his role as a digital forensics officer, Chowles wasfor extracting data and cryptocurrency from devices confiscated from White. Between May 6 and 7, 2017, he secretly transferred 50 of the 97 seized Bitcoin into his own control, fragmenting them across smaller wallets in an attempt to conceal the theft. Over the following years, he converted some of the funds into sterling and spent the proceeds using debit cards, with over 279 transactions totaling £23,309, and £6,232 withdrawn in cash.
The total estimated benefit of Chowles’s criminal conduct is calculated at £613,147.29.
Chowles pleaded guilty at Liverpool Crown Court in May to theft, transferring criminal property, and concealing criminal property. He was sentenced on July 16 at the same court.
Caught by his own investigation
The theft came to light when Thomas White, upon release from prison and under police management, noted that 50 bitcoin had disappeared from his wallet and suggested only the NCA could be responsible. When Merseyside Police officers met with NCA officials to review White’s case, they were informed of the missing funds and launched an internal probe.
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Chowles was arrested in May 2022. A forensic review of his iPhone and office revealed cryptocurrency exchange search histories, account access details, and physical notebooks containing private keys and wallet information tied to the stolen assets.
Public trust and institutional failure
Detective Chief Inspector John Black of Merseyside Police condemned Chowles’s conduct, saying:
“It will be extremely disappointing to everyone that someone involved in law enforcement could involve themselves in the very criminality they are tasked with investigating and preventing.”
The NCA emphasized its zero-tolerance stance on corruption, stating Chowles had been dismissed for gross misconduct and that the agency fully supported the investigation.
Alex Johnson of the Crown Prosecution Service added:
“He took advantage of his position… by lining his own pockets while devising a plan he believed WOULD ensure suspicion never fell on him.”
Both the NCA and CPS reaffirmed their commitment to holding those in power accountable, especially when public trust is at stake.
