Darknet Founder Held in BTC Case Tied to Czech Minister

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Darknet Founder Held in Bitcoin Case Linked to Czech Minister’s Resignation

Written by Aaron S.,

Editor-In-Chief

Last Updated: August 15, 2025

Key Takeaways

Tomas Jirikovsky was detained in a probe over a 468 BTC transfer linked to former Justice Minister Pavel Blazek’s resignation;
Prosecutors say the Bitcoin payment, worth $45 million, was allegedly made to avoid Jirikovsky serving a new prison sentence;
Jirikovsky, founder of Sheep Marketplace, is reported to have gained over 1,500 BTC from its operations and closure.

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Darknet Founder Held in Bitcoin Case Linked to Czech Minister’s Resignation

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Tomas Jirikovsky, the creator of the darknet site Sheep Marketplace, has been detained in the Czech Republic over a Bitcoin transfer linked to the resignation of Pavel Blazek, the country's former Justice Minister.

The case centers on a payment of 468 BTC BTC $117,268.35 , worth about $45 million at the time. The local media outlet Deník N reported on August 15 that the payment was made to the minister in an attempt to avoid a new prison sentence.

On August 14, Chief State Prosecutor Radim Dragoun stated that officers were "securing people and things". He explained that the matter had recently been separated from other proceedings to be handled on its own.

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Although the official statement did not confirm any arrest, Deník N named Jirikovsky as the person taken into custody. He tried to get away by climbing onto the roof of his home during the police raid, but was caught later.

Jirikovsky is known for setting up Sheep Marketplace, an online platform used for selling drugs, weapons, and fake goods. Reports from Seznam Zprávy suggested he earned about 680 BTC from running the site, which launched in 2013 when Bitcoin was trading near $100.

After closing the site, Jirikovsky allegedly took another 841 BTC from its users, both buyers and sellers, which brought his total Bitcoin holdings to at least 1,500 BTC. These actions have long been the subject of investigations and public debate.

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