Wallets linked to the Chinese mining pool LuBian transferred 15,959 BTC, worth approximately $1.83 billion, to four different addresses on Wednesday, marking the second major movement in less than two weeks from the entity connected to the largest confirmed Bitcoin theft.
OnChainLens tracked the distribution, identifying 4,999 BTC worth $539.76 million each to two addresses, 3,424 BTC worth $369.7 million, and 2,535 BTC worth $274.36 million.
The transfers follow an October 15 movement of 11,886 BTC, worth $1.3 billion, that occurred just 24 hours after the U.S. Department of Justice announced one of the largest crypto forfeiture cases targeting Prince Holding Group.
However, community observers noted that these are not the original Bitcoin that were hacked and seized, and the addresses remain sanctioned, with the controller Chen Zhi still on the run.
The timing has sparked renewed speculation about whether the movements are a defensive repositioning amid DOJ enforcement or a strategic reallocation ahead of potential liquidation.
At the time of publication, Bitcoin is trading around $108,000 after reversing a 3.5% pump from $114,000.
Largest Bitcoin Theft Ever Surfaces After Four-Year Dormancy
Blockchain analytics firm Arkham Intelligence revealed in August that 127,426 BTC, valued at $3.5 billion at the time and nearly $14.5 billion today, was stolen from LuBian in December 2020.
The theft exploited vulnerabilities in LuBian’s private key generation system through potential brute-force attacks.
The pool had risen quickly in early 2020, becoming the sixth-largest mining pool while promoting itself as “the safest high-yielding mining pool in the world.“
Attackers drained over 90% of LuBian’s BTC on December 28, 2020, followed by an additional $6 million in BTC and USDT the next day. By February 2021, LuBian had disappeared without explanation, fueling speculation of a regulatory shutdown.
Arkham’s investigation revealed the dramatic hack as the actual cause.
LuBian attempted to communicate with the attacker using Bitcoin’s OP_RETURN feature, writing “To the whitehat who is saving our asset, you can contact us… to discuss the return of asset and your reward.“
Most stolen coins remained dormant until July 2024, with 11,886 BTC worth roughly $1.35 billion still untouched in LuBian’s wallet.
UK-China Tensions Over $7.2B Bitcoin Seizure
In a separate but related seizure, the UK government proposed a compensation scheme for victims of Chinese investment fraud while seeking to retain the majority of a £5 billion ($7.2 billion) Bitcoin fortune seized from perpetrators.
The announcement was made during a High Court hearing in London on Wednesday, regarding 61,000 Bitcoin seized by police in 2018 from devices found at a mansion in Hampstead, now representing one of the largest cryptocurrency seizures in UK history.
UK proposes compensation for fraud victims while keeping most of £5B ($7.2B) Bitcoin seized in 2018 from 61,000 BTC as 130,000 victims contest government benefit.#Bitcoin #UKhttps://t.co/jXXgfWZagW
— Cryptonews.com (@cryptonews) October 15, 2025
The case pits British authorities against approximately 130,000 Chinese investors who lost money in fraud orchestrated by Zhimin Qian between 2014 and 2017.
Bitcoin’s value has surged dramatically since the 2018 seizure, climbing from approximately $1.8 billion to its current $7.2 billion valuation.
Authorities also recently obtained access to additional cryptocurrency assets worth about £67 million from Qian.
Qian and Malaysian associate Seng Hok Ling pleaded guilty to money laundering charges last month and are scheduled to face sentencing in November.
Dump on BTC: How Would the Market React?
With hackers and the government potentially looking to sell, it is uncertain what the aftermath will look like for BTC.
On the technical level, Bitcoin currently faces technical pressure after reversing Monday’s 3.5% pump, dropping from $114,000 back to the $107,000-$108,000 support zone.
The pullback has left traders watching the upcoming U.S. Consumer Price Index data on October 24 for directional cues.
Consensus expectations sit at 3.1%, but after six consecutive months of rising inflation readings, investors fear another upside surprise could unsettle risk markets.
Bitcoin’s chart shows the asset testing support near $112,000, with the projected trajectory suggesting a potential rebound toward $117,000 if support holds.
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