A woman has been convicted in what is believed to be the world’s “single largest” Bitcoin seizure, said London’s Metropolitan Police.
Zhimin Qian, also known as Yadi Zhang, is a Chinese national who pleaded guilty to acquiring and possessing criminal property, i.e., Bitcoin, in the Southwark Crown Court on Sep. 29.
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As per the statement, the Met’s Economic Crime team launched an inquiry into international money laundering in 2018, which revealed that the 47-year-old woman defrauded over 128,000 victims in China during 2014-2017 and put all the illicit funds in Bitcoin assets.
The woman then fled China using false documents and entered the United Kingdom. Five years ago, she tried to launder the proceeds from criminal activity by buying property in the U.K. in September 2018.
The Met seized 61,000 Bitcoin, worth $6.7 billion on Sep. 29, from Qian in what is believed to be the world’s single largest cryptocurrency seizure, the statement read.
Jian Wen, who assisted Qian, was also jailed for her role in the criminal operation in 2024. Wen had been involved in facilitating the transfer of a crypto wallet containing 150 Bitcoin, Met said. She was sentenced to six years and eight months in May last year.
Detective Sergeant Isabella Grotto, who led the Met’s investigation, said, “When our team located Zhimin Qian, she had been evading justice for five years, and her arrest triggered a complex investigation requiring evidence from multiple jurisdictions and the careful review of thousands of documents… Today’s plea reflects years of hard work across both the UK and China.”
Robin Weyell, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said, “Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are increasingly being used by organised criminals to disguise and transfer assets, so that fraudsters may enjoy the benefits of their criminal conduct. This case, involving the largest cryptocurrency seizure in the UK, illustrates the scale of criminal proceeds available to those fraudsters.”
As per Kraken’s price feed, Bitcoin was exchanging hands at $113,113.59 at the time of writing, up more than 75% in a year.
This story was originally reported by TheStreet on Sep 30, 2025, where it first appeared in the MARKETS section. Add TheStreet as a Preferred Source by clicking here.