This article analyses the criminological foundations of confiscation of the proceeds of crime and the international evolution of this figure in recent decades within the framework of the political-criminal strategy aimed at recovering assets from criminal activities. To this end, a qualitative model based on doctrinal analysis and comparative criminal policy has been followed as research methods. The article shows the growing importance of confiscation as a situational prevention tool, focusing on the absorption of criminal assets to discourage the so-called “profit crime.” The most recent modality is analyzed, the “confiscation of unexplained assets linked to criminal behavior,” introduced by Directive (EU) 2024/1260, as a resource to improve the effectiveness of asset recovery.