Darknet Marketplace Founder Arrested in Czech Republic Over Bitcoin Bribery Case

Czech police have arrested programmer Tomáš Jiřikovský as part of a criminal investigation related to a bitcoin donation to the country’s Ministry of Justice.

The press release does not directly name the detainee, but the context points to Jiřikovský. Several local media outlets have also confirmed the information.

According to Deník N, the arrest took place on the evening of August 14. The suspect attempted to evade the police by climbing onto the roof of his house during the raid.

Policie včera večer za dramatických okolností zasahovala v břeclavském domě, kde přebývá dárce miliardy v bitcoinech Tomáš Jiřikovský. Muž, kterého vyšetřovatelé podezírají z nedovolené výroby a jiného nakládání s drogami, během razie unikl na střechu domu. Posléze jej policisté… pic.twitter.com/zUYkVoWxCV

— Deník N (@enkocz) August 15, 2025

Jiřikovský is the founder of the darknet marketplace Sheep Marketplace, which was shut down in 2013. In 2017, he was sentenced to nine years in prison but was released on parole in 2021.

After his release, he attempted to reclaim confiscated equipment, including a laptop with a bitcoin wallet containing approximately 1560 BTC. The case stalled in court until March 2025, when Jiřikovský, through his lawyer, donated 468 BTC (30%) of the seized assets to the government.

The incident sparked a corruption scandal in the Czech Republic, leading to the resignation of the former Minister of Justice Pavel Blažek. The opposition accused him of accepting a bribe and the non-transparent sale of assets.

Jiřikovský is currently in custody. He faces charges related to two criminal episodes from 2015 and 2025, involving the laundering of illicit funds.

In a recent statement, authorities announced that the police have also decided to seize the cryptocurrency held by the Ministry of Justice in a wallet managed by the Office for Government Representation in Property Affairs, recognizing it as criminal proceeds.

Back in June, the anti-corruption agency cleared President Javier Milei of ethics violations related to the promotion of the meme token LIBRA.