Norwegian authorities, in collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the US Department of Justice (DOJ), reportedly seized around $6 million that was stolen in last year’s Axie Infinity heist. “This is the largest cryptocurrency seizure Norwegian police have ever made,” said Norway’s Økokrim.
Norway and the FBI recover some funds stolen from the Axie Infinity attack
Økokrim, Norway’s National Authority for the Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crimes, announced Thursday that it seized 60 million kroons (approximately $5.8 million) worth of cryptocurrency in connection with the attack on Axie Infinity and Sky Mavis, the company that developed the non-fungible token-based online video game (NFT).
The Norwegian authority explained that in collaboration with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI):
Økokrim has seized close to NOK 60 million worth of cryptocurrency. It is the largest crypto seizure Norwegian police have ever made.
“We work with FBI specialists on cryptocurrency tracking. Such cooperation between countries means that we as a society are stronger in the fight against profit-motivated digital crime,” said First State Attorney Marianne Bender. However, Økokrim did not provide details of the seizure.
Axie Infinity was hacked in March of last year after the Ronin network validators were compromised. The reported loss was $620 million at the time. “The attacker managed to control all four of Sky Mavis’s Ronin validators and one third-party validator managed by Axie DAO,” Sky Mavis said.
According to the FBI, the North Korean hacker group Lazarus was behind the heist. The hackers began a large-scale and sophisticated money laundering operation immediately after the attack, Økokrim detailed.
In May of last year, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of the Treasury. penalized Blender.io crypto mixer. The Treasury Department explained that Blender was used in the laundering process of the North Korean Axie Infinity heist, processing more than $20.5 million in illicit proceeds.
What do you think of Norway seizing stolen crypto from Axie Infinity with the help of the Department of Justice and the FBI? Let us know in the comments section.
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