Czech police have arrested Tomas Jirikovsky, founder of the darknet marketplace Sheep Marketplace, in connection with a $45 million Bitcoin donation linked to former Justice Minister Pavel Blazek, who resigned earlier this year. The police intervened in the case on Thursday, although an official statement did not confirm any arrests. Local reports suggest Jirikovsky attempted to escape arrest by climbing onto his roof during the police raid. Jirikovsky, a convicted criminal, allegedly donated 468 BTC to Blazek to evade a new prison sentence. He has a history of operating Sheep Marketplace, earning approximately 680 BTC, and embezzling another 841 BTC from users after closing down the site in late 2013. In 2017, he was sentenced to nine years for various crimes but was released on parole in 2021. The controversy surrounding the donation reignited after blockchain analysts traced funds from a wallet linked to another darknet marketplace, suggesting ongoing criminal activity in the Bitcoin ecosystem.

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