Norwegian authorities worked shoulder to shoulder with the FBI and DoJ to seize illegally obtained funds.
Norway’s National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime (Økokrim) has seized $5.85 million (60 million Norwegian kroner) in crypto tied to the Axie Infinity Ronin hack.
According to the announcement shared on February 16th, in order to seize the assets, Økokrim worked hand in hand with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the US Department of Justice (DoJ).
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In its announcement, Økokrim claimed that it is one of the largest cash seizures made in Norway.
When talking about the investigation, Senior Public Prosecutor Marianne Bender noted:
Økokrim is good at following the trail of money. This case shows that we also have a great capacity to follow the money on the blockchain, even if the criminals use advanced methods.
The Axie Infinity Ronin hack, which took place on March 23rd, was the biggest this year and the largest crypto-related hack to ever take place. During the exploit, malicious actors reportedly stole around $612 million worth of crypto in the form of Ether (ETH) and USD Coin (USDC).
In the statement, Økokrim revealed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has recently connected the hack to the North Koren hackers called Lazarus Group. It is believed that Lazarus Group was especially active in 2022 and managed to steal between $1 to $2 billion in crypto.
Senior Public Prosecutor Marianne Bender claimed that Lazarus Group hackers use illegally obtained funds to support North Korea and “their nuclear weapons programme.”
Norwegian authorities revealed that it will be contacting the Ronin Bridge creator Sky Mavis so that affected users would receive stolen funds “to the greatest extent possible.”
