Law enforcement agencies and security analysts have identified a growing trend among Irish criminal groups involving the use of private, high-security vaults to house cryptocurrency assets. Rather than keeping digital keys on internet-connected devices, which are susceptible to remote access and tracking, these groups are reportedly moving their holdings onto offline hardware wallets and placing them in physical storage facilities.

This strategy serves two primary purposes: protecting assets from rival gangs and making it more difficult for authorities to seize funds during raids. By utilizing private vaults, criminals can effectively 'air-gap' their wealth, ensuring that even if their digital footprint is monitored, the physical access to the private keys remains restricted to those with physical access to the vault. While the exact scale of this activity remains difficult to quantify due to the secretive nature of the groups involved, the shift highlights a broader evolution in how illicit funds are managed in an increasingly digital economy. The use of these facilities mirrors traditional money laundering techniques, where physical security is used to obscure the movement and ownership of wealth.