Section 303Z26: Seizure of cryptoasset-related items

Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 · 2002 c. 29View on legislation.gov.uk

Part 5: Civil recovery of the proceeds etc. of unlawful conduct — CHAPTER 3C: Recovery of cryptoassets: searches, seizure and detention

An enforcement officer may seize any item of property if the enforcement officer has reasonable grounds for suspecting that the item is a cryptoasset-related item.

If an enforcement officer is lawfully on any premises, the officer may, for the purpose of—

determining whether any property is a cryptoasset-related item, or
enabling or facilitating the seizure under this Chapter of any cryptoasset,

require any information which is stored in any electronic form and accessible from the premises to be produced in a form in which it can be taken away and in which it is visible and legible, or from which it can readily be produced in a visible and legible form.

But subsection (2) does not authorise an enforcement officer to require a person to produce privileged information.

In this section "privileged information" means information which a person would be entitled to refuse to provide—

in England and Wales and Northern Ireland, on grounds of legal professional privilege in proceedings in the High Court;
in Scotland, on grounds of legal privilege as defined by section 412.

Where an enforcement officer has seized a cryptoasset-related item under subsection (1), the officer may use any information obtained from the item for the purpose of—

identifying or gaining access to a crypto wallet, and
by doing so, enabling or facilitating the seizure under this Chapter of any cryptoassets.

This section does not authorise the seizure by an SFO officer or an accredited financial investigator of an item found in Scotland.

About this text

This legislation text comes from legislation.gov.uk. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. These source and reuse terms cover the legislation text, not Remedy's commentary.

Reuse reviewed 21 August 2026 under Open Government Licence v3.0.