UK Police Convicts Pair in £5.5 Billion Bitcoin Launder Case
Two people have been convicted in connection with a multibillion-pound Bitcoin laundering scheme tied to what police call the world’s largest cryptocurrency seizure. Zhimin Qian, 47, and Hok Seng Ling, 46, admitted roles in handling more than £5.5 billion worth of illicit crypto.
According to a Metropolitan Police statement, the convictions follow a seven-year investigation by its Economic Crime team, which uncovered one of the largest money laundering operations ever pursued in the UK.
Fugitive defrauded 128,000 victims before fleeing China
The Met Police said that between 2014 and 2017, Qian orchestrated a sweeping fraud in China that duped more than 128,000 victims. She converted the proceeds into Bitcoin and fled the country using false documents to evade capture.
After entering the UK, she attempted to conceal her fortune by moving it through property purchases. In 2018, Metropolitan Police investigators seized 61,000 Bitcoin from Qian, assets then worth over £5.5 billion. Ling, her Derbyshire-based associate, played a role in transferring and disguising the funds, and Met surveillance of him later led officers to Qian’s whereabouts in Scotland and York.
Fraud duo submit guilty pleas
On 29 September 2025, Qian admitted to acquiring and possessing criminal property under the Proceeds of Crime Act. The following day, Ling pleaded guilty to transferring criminal property at Southwark Crown Court.
Both were arrested in April 2024, when investigators seized encrypted devices, cash, gold, and additional cryptocurrency valued at £11 million.
Earlier conviction shows wider network behind fraud
A close associate of Qian, Jian Wen, was jailed for six years and eight months in May 2024 for her role in the laundering scheme. Investigators proved that she helped move a cryptocurrency wallet containing 150 Bitcoin, valued at £1.7 million at the time, which was tied to the proceeds of Qian’s fraud.
Relentless investigation across borders and blockchains
Met officials said the guilty pleas marked the culmination of a relentless, years-long investigation carried out with international partners. Will Lyne, head of the Met’s Economic and Cybercrime Command, praised the cooperation with Chinese authorities that helped secure key evidence.
Detective Sergeant Isabella Grotto, who led the probe, said Qian had evaded justice for five years before her arrest, describing the case as the result of “years of painstaking work” across multiple jurisdictions. Security Minister Dan Jarvis added that “the UK will never be a safe haven for criminals and their ill-gotten gains.”
Officials said the case highlights how organised crime is turning to cryptocurrencies to move and disguise illicit proceeds at scale.
The Crown Prosecution Service is pursuing confiscation and civil proceedings to keep the assets beyond the offenders’ reach, with sentencing for Qian and Ling set for 10-11 November at Southwark Crown Court.
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