US Govt Selling Silk Road Related Bitcoin? Analysts Disagree

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Regardless of all of the euphoria in regards to the BlackRock Bitcoin spot ETF, there are nonetheless a number of occasions hovering over the Bitcoin and crypto market like a sword of Damocles that might trigger a big pullback. One in every of these causes are the deliberate Bitcoin gross sales by america authorities this 12 months.

As Bitcoinist reported, the US authorities nonetheless plans to liquidate greater than 41,000 BTC seized in a case associated to the legendary darknet platform Silk Highway. A court docket doc revealed that the US authorities has began liquidating round 51,352 BTC earlier this 12 months. On March 14, round 9,861 BTC have been liquidated, leaving round 41,491 BTC to be bought.

Uproar Over Alleged Bitcoin Transactions By US Govt

Information of a supposed Silk Highway-related switch of BTC got here as soon as once more from on-chain information supplier Arkham Intel. The info supplier has already brought about chaos in latest months with hoax information.

On the finish of April, an Arkham alert brought about a Bitcoin crash of seven% when information unfold that Mt Gox. and US authorities wallets have been conducting transactions. A couple of hours in the past, Arkham reported through Twitter that the deal with “bc1qzd8” used an alternate deposit pockets that was in any other case solely utilized by recognized US government-related James Zhong confiscation addresses.

“bc1qzd8” despatched 10,298 BTC to what we imagine is an alternate deposit pockets immediately. The one different addresses to make use of it despatched quantities related to the USG [US government] forfeiture.

Arkham finds the supposed proof of this in an announcement by the US Division of Justice (DOJ), the place numerous forfeiture instances associated to James Zhong are talked about, and the seized Bitcoin quantities are specified to eight digits of a decimal.

In accordance with Arkham, at 19:36 yesterday, June 20, the primary transaction was made to a brand new deal with: 10,298 BTC from “bc1qzd8”. Shortly afterwards, the identical alternate deal with utilized by “bc1qzd8” obtained 115.025 BTC. Because the tweet states, that is the precise quantity talked about within the DOJ announcement, from an deal with that obtained these funds on April 28, 2022 (the precise date referenced within the announcement).

Subsequently, the deal with obtained 4,574 BTC, one other actual quantity talked about within the announcement, from an deal with that obtained these funds on June 8, 2022, which additionally coincides with the DOJ announcement. “We imagine this affiliation is powerful sufficient to attribute “bc1qzd” to a further USG-related pockets,” Arkham concludes.

TL;DR: Immediately bc1qzd8 has used an alternate deposit pockets that has solely in any other case been utilized by recognized USG Zhong confiscation addresses, all inside three hours of each other.

bc1qzd8 despatched 10.298 BTC to what we imagine is an alternate deposit pockets immediately. The one different addresses… https://t.co/5LWZEUQaUI pic.twitter.com/Czqdw9KYpT

— Arkham (@ArkhamIntel) June 20, 2023

However the chief analysts at on-chain information supplier CryptoQuant disagree. Co-founder and CEO Ki Younger Ju replied to Twitter person @zoomerfied: “This isn’t true. Extremely probably mislabeled,” and added that the deal with “bc1qzd8” will not be owned by the US authorities, neither is it in a cluster or close to addresses listed in US authorities data. As well as, Younger Ju clarified that the transaction patterns seem like alternate wallets, not the US authorities:

‘bc1q95h6…’ seems to be an alternate deposit pockets, whereas ‘bc1qzd8c…’ appears to be an alternate scorching pockets aggregating person deposits.

After the US gov seized cash from a crypto alternate, the mud btc was transferred to scorching wallets imo.

Julio Moreno, head of analysis at CryptoQuant added:

US Authorities is alleged to have moved 1,500 seized #Bitcoin in a single transaction immediately. I believe that almost all are lacking the purpose that 1,490 BTC have been simply despatched to a change deal with, so no promoting strain. Because of this bitcoin value didn’t care. Gov nonetheless has 204K BTC to promote.

At press time, the market appeared to imagine the CryptoQuant analysts. The Bitcoin value was unimpressed by the rumor and traded at $28,866 (+7.8 % within the final 24 hours).