UK court bans ‘Britain’s Pablo Escobar’ from using WhatsApp and Bitcoin

As the popularity of bitcoin grows, various governments around the world have taken notice of it, the people who invest in it, and what they do with the cryptocurrency. One of the high-profile cases to emerge has been that of Liverpool man Curtis Warren, known as ‘Brit Pablo Escobar’. Warren recently received a judgment from a British court that has banned him from using bitcoin.

Nabbing A Notorious Criminal

Curtis Warren is a notorious criminal who had been on Britain’s radar for a long time. The 59-year-old had even been the most wanted criminal on Interpol’s list before his arrest. Warren had previously served a 12-year sentence in the Netherlands after being caught with £125 million worth of drugs and weapons. He had then served a further 4 years in prison after kicking a fellow inmate to death.

Then again in 2009, Warren was found guilty of conspiracy to smuggle cannabis and was subsequently given another 13 years in prison. This was the result of an organized takedown orchestrated against Warren who was considered to be Britain’s biggest drug dealer at one point. He had even appeared on the Sunday Times Rich List for raking in an estimated £15 million a week from his illegal activities.

Curtis Warren is actually set to be released soon, but the British justice system has placed strict conditions on his release. The most prominent of these is the ban on using Bitcoin. In addition to never being able to trade or invest in bitcoin, Warren is also banned from using the instant messaging app WhatsApp.

BTC price trending above $19,000 | Source: BTCUSD on TradingView.com

However, the situation does not end there. Warren must give one day’s notice before boarding a friend’s car or van. He must also give one week’s notice before he can travel abroad to Scotland.

Bitcoin and crime

This would not be the first time bitcoin activities have been linked to criminals. Its use in nefarious activities has been an argument for lawmakers against the existence of the cryptocurrency, despite studies showing that only a small percentage of bitcoin transactions were actually linked to criminal activity.

Back in July 2021, Claudio Oliveira, the self-titled “Bitcoin King” was arrested for criminal activity involving 7,000 BTC. Earlier in 2022, law enforcement had arrested a New York-based couple in connection with the 2016 Bitfinex hack and charged them with conspiracy to launder $4.5 million in Bitcoin.

The Nigerian Federal High Court in Lagos had last week ordered the forfeiture of nearly 2 BTC seized from a suspect named Alkali Naziru Taminu on suspicion that the coins were obtained through illegal activity.

As the space continues to evolve, it is expected that governments will have more regulatory oversight over the market, which will inevitably lead to the arrest of more bad actors in the space.

Featured image from Escape Artist, chart from TradingView.com

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