London Police Forms Timsus For Crime Perpetrators In The Crypto World

London Metropolitan Police is a crypto task force. (Photo; Doc. KryptoMoney)

JAKARTA - The London Metropolitan Police have formed a special team of 40 people to pursue criminals in the crypto world. According to a recent report from the Financial Times, the team has started recruiting its members since December and has been operating actively since May.

Detective Inspector Geoff Donoghue, a member of the Metropolitan crypto investigation team, revealed that cryptocurrencies no longer belong to criminal companies alone.

"Cryptocurrencies provide a new dimension on the transfer of value. We find cryptocurrencies everywhere. The evidence shows that cryptocurrencies have become a common part of organized crimes, including drug trafficking, weapons, human trafficking, and illegal workers. There is growing evidence that cryptocurrencies are also used in those fields, "said Donoghue.

Currently, the team is conducting 19 active criminal investigations based on 74 "intelligence references". Detective Sergeant Mat Stanley, who served in the Met cybercrime unit, confirmed that although the current crypto market price tends to fall, the use of digital assets in the criminal world has not decreased.

"We have managed to catch the perpetrators several times. But for the perpetrators, whether it costs one Bitcoin or 0.1 Bitcoin, the most important thing is how they can obtain illegal goods such as drugs worth 100 pounds (around Rp. 1.9 million)," said Stanley.

The Metropolitan Police serve the London area and its surroundings, which do not belong to the London city itself. Their jurisdiction covers 8.6 million people.

The addition of this crypto team is a strategic step in dealing with the development of the crypto world which is increasingly influential in criminal activities. Cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, have become one of the main transaction tools for criminals, and efforts to take action from the authorities are becoming increasingly important to maintain public security.