Arkham Intelligence has just detected a large Bitcoin transaction from Nucleus Marketplace, a dark web drug market that has been completely inactive for 9 years. Nucleus transferred $77.5 million into 3 separate wallets while retaining $365 million.
These 'ancient Bitcoin whales' occasionally surface in this space, but a surviving darknet provider is a rare occurrence. The asset value of Nucleus has skyrocketed, but converting this BTC to fiat will not be straightforward.
Dark Web Bitcoin whales awaken
In the cryptocurrency and finance space in general, there is an immutable rule: money never sleeps. Today, on-chain analysis firm Arkham Intelligence has uncovered a remarkable transaction from a source nearly forgotten.
Nucleus Marketplace, a darknet market that has been silent for the past 9 years, suddenly resumed operations to move more than $77.5 million in Bitcoin.
"Nucleus Marketplace is a darknet drug market, and it is believed the founder was arrested by law enforcement or this was an exit scam when the market ceased operations in 2016. Notably, the remaining Bitcoin in the Nucleus wallet has remained 'inactive' for nearly a decade until today," Arkham stated.
This now-defunct darknet market did not immediately move all of its Bitcoin, and Nucleus still retains about $365 million in BTC. Bitcoin's price has surged dramatically since the company's heyday. BTC never exceeded $1,000 in 2016.
Whoever controls this wallet is acting quite cautiously when transferring these assets into 3 separate wallets.
Darknet Bitcoin transferred to 3 wallets | Source: Arkham Intelligence
Although the dark web may particularly attract attention, Bitcoin moving from wallets that have existed for decades is surprisingly common. These ancient whales may come from various origins, such as early miners or stolen assets that have not been laundered.
Transactions related to the darknet market have become increasingly rare after a series of legal crackdowns, but there are still anonymous wallets that evade control.
Although this darknet wallet may seem novel in 2025, it appears unlikely to have much impact on Bitcoin. Currently, it is unclear who controls the Nucleus wallet, which could be the original operator, an associate, or a hacker.
Regardless of who controls the wallet, converting this BTC to fiat without notice will not be easy. These wallets are continuously monitored, and any suspicious activity could trigger a response from the community.
