In a move that’s been making headlines across the UK, Devon and Cornwall Police have seized £180,000 from controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate. The money was originally placed as a deposit on an Aston Martin Valhalla, a special-edition supercar that made its cinematic debut in the James Bond film No Time to Die. The seizure, announced following a hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday, August 14, 2025, marks the latest chapter in a series of legal actions targeting Tate and his brother Tristan for alleged financial crimes.
According to BBC and corroborated by Devon and Cornwall Police, the funds used for the supercar deposit were traced back to tax evasion and money laundering operations. Detective Superintendent Jon Bancroft explained that the cash “came from tax evasion and money laundering,” and that this latest seizure builds on a previous ruling from December 2024, when authorities confiscated nearly £2.7 million from the Tate brothers. Those earlier funds were linked to a failure to pay tax on £21 million in revenue generated from their online businesses, some of which has been associated by investigators with ongoing human trafficking allegations in Romania.
The story reads almost like a crime thriller, but the details are all too real. The £180,000 deposit was made in July 2021 for a Valhalla model—a car valued at a staggering £850,000. For car enthusiasts, the Valhalla isn’t just any vehicle; it’s a symbol of luxury and exclusivity, and its cameo in the James Bond franchise only added to its mystique. Yet, as it turns out, the money behind this deposit had a more dubious origin story.
Sarah Clarke KC, representing Devon and Cornwall Police at the court hearing, detailed how the funds deposited with Aston Martin didn’t come from a standard bank account. Instead, they originated from a Coinbase cryptocurrency account. This account, she explained, held multiple cryptocurrencies purchased through the Tate brothers’ business activities. Crucially, no tax or VAT had been paid on any of these funds—a fact that proved central to the police’s case.
Both Andrew and Tristan Tate chose not to contest the account freezing and forfeiture orders. The decision, issued by Westminster Magistrates' Court, was made under the Proceeds of Crime Act, a legal framework that allows authorities to seize assets believed to be derived from criminal activity. As a result, the £180,000 will now be added to the larger pot of £2.7 million previously seized from the brothers. Half of these funds, according to police statements, will be distributed to good causes by the force, while the other half will go to the treasury—a split that’s become standard practice in such cases.
Detective Superintendent Bancroft didn’t mince words about the significance of the ruling. “This latest judgement follows on from our applications made against the Tate brothers which resulted in a successful ruling in December 2024 and the forfeiture of nearly £2.7 million of criminal funds,” he said, as reported by BBC. “From the outset we aimed to demonstrate that Andrew and Tristan Tate evaded their tax obligations and laundered money. We succeeded in doing exactly that and we have succeeded again this week.”
He went on to emphasize the broader impact of the seizure: “People in Devon and Cornwall will benefit from the money seized and it will be reinvested to help prevent crime, aid victims and vulnerable people, and to boost good causes.” Bancroft added that the outcome demonstrates how police “will continue to relentlessly pursue all criminal funds without fear or favour.”
The legal saga surrounding the Tate brothers has been anything but straightforward. While the focus of this week’s court action was the supercar deposit, the larger context involves a web of alleged financial misconduct. The December 2024 court ruling, which authorized the seizure of £2.7 million, was based on findings that the brothers had failed to pay tax on a massive £21 million in online business revenue. Some of this revenue, detectives claim, is directly connected to allegations of human trafficking in Romania—a case that’s still unfolding and has drawn international attention.
The use of cryptocurrency in these transactions has also raised eyebrows. According to police, the funds used for the Aston Martin deposit were funneled through a Coinbase account, which held assets bought with proceeds from the Tate brothers’ various business ventures. The lack of tax or VAT payments on these funds was a key element in the court’s decision to grant the forfeiture order. This highlights the growing concern among law enforcement agencies about the use of digital currencies in money laundering and tax evasion—a trend that’s been accelerating as cryptocurrencies become more mainstream.
While Andrew and Tristan Tate are no strangers to controversy—having built their online personas on a mix of bravado, luxury, and often inflammatory rhetoric—the legal consequences of their financial dealings are now catching up with them. The fact that they did not oppose the latest orders suggests a recognition of the strength of the case against them, or perhaps a strategic decision to avoid further legal entanglements in the UK as their Romanian case looms.
For the people of Devon and Cornwall, the case has a tangible upside. As Detective Superintendent Bancroft explained, the seized funds will be “reinvested to help prevent crime, aid victims and vulnerable people, and to boost good causes.” This is not just a symbolic victory for law enforcement; it’s a practical one that will see ill-gotten gains redirected to benefit local communities. Half of the seized money will be allocated to initiatives chosen by the police force, while the other half will bolster the treasury—a detail confirmed by BBC and echoed in statements from Devon and Cornwall Police.
The broader implications of the case are hard to ignore. As authorities become more adept at tracing digital assets and uncovering complex financial crimes, high-profile figures like the Tate brothers are finding it increasingly difficult to hide behind the anonymity of cryptocurrency or the complexity of international business structures. The Proceeds of Crime Act, under which these latest seizures were authorized, has proven to be a powerful tool in the fight against money laundering and tax evasion—especially when it comes to assets that cross borders and involve new forms of currency.
As for Andrew Tate and his brother, their legal troubles are far from over. With ongoing investigations in Romania and the possibility of further charges in the UK, the story is likely to develop in the months ahead. But for now, the message from Devon and Cornwall Police is clear: no one is above the law, and criminal proceeds—no matter how flashy or well-disguised—will ultimately be reclaimed and put to better use.