Detectives in Norway have seized more than 60 million kroner ($5.9 million) previously stolen from the blockchain-based game Axie Infinity. The recovered funds are part of what was stolen last year by notorious North Korean crooks. In a press release on Feb. 17, Norway’s national agency for investigating and prosecuting economic and environmental crimes (Økokrim) confirmed the seizure of nearly $6 million worth of digital assets, an all-time high for a Scandinavian country in cryptocurrency seizures.
The Norwegian regulator noted that the recovered digital assets were part of a massive exploitation by Sky Mavis, the parent company behind the Axie Infinity non-fungible token video game.
The agency worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on a successful tracking operation. Commenting on the joint cybercrime operation, First State Attorney Marianne Bender said: “We work with FBI specialists on tracking crypto crimes. Such cooperation between countries means that we as a society stand stronger in the fight against digital, profit-motivated crime.”
Notorious North Korean hackers attacked Axie Infinity in March 2022, stealing over $600 million through privacy mixer Tornado Cash. Earlier this month, the United Nations reported that actors stole more than $1 billion in cryptocurrencies and NFTs last year.
