5000 Canadian dollars is criminal property... Court orders return of Bitcoin laptop

Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice John Bodurtha ordered the return of a laptop containing access credentials to a Bitcoin wallet to the family of William Sandeson, who is serving a life sentence for murder, while excluding CAD 5,000 in cash seized from the same apartment as crime-related property. The judge ruled on June 3 that the possibility the cryptocurrency was used in drug transactions was "hypothetical," citing no evidence Sandeson actually used Bitcoin in transactions and no proof from prosecutors that the coins were tied to the killing or were proceeds of crime. The ruling separates the treatment of digital assets from cash in the same seizure, reinforcing that authorities must show a concrete link between crypto and criminal activity rather than rely on assumption. The decision matters for Canadian asset-forfeiture precedent, since it keeps wallet access in the family's hands while the Bitcoin itself remains available to the estate. What to watch next is whether prosecutors appeal the exclusion of the CAD 5,000 or challenge the Bitcoin's status in any related proceedings.