Czech police arrested darknet marketplace founder Tomas Jirikovsky on Thursday night over a $45 million Bitcoin scandal. The arrest is linked to the resignation of former Justice Minister Pavel Blazek earlier this year, according to a report from Dernik N.
Authorities confirmed they were “securing people and things” in a criminal case recently separated for independent proceedings, according to Chief State Prosecutor Radim Dragoun.
Local media reported that police raided Jirikovsky’s home late at night. During the operation, he tried to escape by climbing onto his roof but was caught shortly after. His ex-wife said a neighbor alerted her about the rooftop standoff.
Jirikovsky is a Czech programmer who created Sheep Marketplace in 2013. The platform traded drugs, weapons, and counterfeit goods. Reports from Seznam Zprávy estimate he earned around 680 BTC from operations before shutting down the marketplace in December 2013.
He later stole an additional 841 BTC from users, raising his total holdings to at least 1,500 BTC. In 2017, the Brno Regional Court sentenced him to nine years for embezzlement, drug trafficking, and illegal arms possession. He was released on parole in 2021 after serving half his sentence.
Authorities claim Jirikovsky paid Blazek 468 BTC to avoid a new prison term. The donation was connected to Nucleus, another darknet marketplace that reportedly holds 5,000 BTC. Public outrage over the donation led to Blazek’s resignation in May.
Blockchain analytics firm Arkham Intelligence traced a $77.5 million Bitcoin transfer from a Nucleus wallet in March 2025, marking its first movement in nine years.
Lucien Bourdon, a Bitcoin analyst at Trezor, said, “Large transfers can be traced forever. Imagine if every fiat transaction involving governments was just as visible.” Experts note that Bitcoin leaves permanent trails, which can expose criminal activity.
The arrest of Jirikovsky shows that authorities are using blockchain transparency to track and stop illegal crypto dealings in Central Europe.
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