Thanks for this insightful comment. Yes, I read about the auction of the 33 million from a public auction that went to an anonymous buyer (whoever that was). You make a very good point here that in 2013 bitcoin's value wasn't what it is today. The article that I quote in the post mentions Cazes having 11 million in assets but doesn't say how much bitcoin was seized and what become of it. Maybe the information will come out...

We shouldn't forget that 2 Federal Agents involved in the take down of the Silk Road flat out stole Bitcoin to enrich themselves.

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/31/nyregion/silk-road-case-federal-agents-charges.html

The idea that these sites are taken down in order to crash Bitcoin is something I haven't pondered, but it's an interesting angle for sure.