A recent report by Chainalysis has revealed a significant increase in criminal cryptocurrency holdings, reaching an estimated $75 billion as of July 2025. This figure represents a remarkable surge of 359% since 2020, demonstrating the growth of illicit crypto activity alongside mainstream adoption. The majority of these funds are controlled by darknet markets, estimated at $46.2 billion, which have evolved into sophisticated ecosystems leveraging privacy tools and decentralized technologies to evade detection. 40% of criminal cash in 2021-2022 was moved directly from illicit wallets to exchanges before this figure dropped to a mere 15% today as criminals increasingly rely on mixers, privacy coins, and cross-chain bridges to conceal their activity.