On-chain investigator ZachXBT has identified Dritan Kapllani Jr., a U.S. citizen, as the alleged ringleader behind a sophisticated social engineering scheme that robbed crypto holders of 185 BTC—worth approximately $19 million. The exposé, published on May 12, 2026, details how Kapllani flaunted a lavish lifestyle, including private jets, luxury watches, and high-end cars, using funds traced directly to stolen wallets.
Technical evidence links an Ethereum wallet (0x4487) to the March 14 theft of 185 BTC (then valued at $13 million). Just one day later, Kapllani’s Exodus wallet received $5.3 million from the same source. A criminal complaint against accomplice Trenton Johnson, unsealed on May 11, names Kapllani as “Co-Conspirator 1” (CC-1) and outlines Johnson’s role—potentially facing up to 40 years in prison. Memecoin influencer Yelo is also implicated for allegedly laundering funds through a Miami car rental business, risking a 30-year sentence.
The investigation triggered a massive global response. Last Friday, the Department of Justice and the FBI, in coordination with Dubai Police and Thai authorities, arrested 276 suspects and shuttered nine “pig butchering” scam centers. Meta Platforms aided the probe, having removed 159 million fraudulent ads and blocked 10.9 million scam-linked accounts across its platforms in 2025. While Kapllani Jr. has not yet been charged, ZachXBT’s analysis connected him to at least five other high-confidence thefts from 2025, noting the use of mixers minutes after the original heist—a pattern seen in prior Bitcoin wallet scams.
