Swerving van leads police to $2.65 million in stolen US silver coins
FILE: Silver coins (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Three Norwegians have been sentenced to prison over a money laundering case that finally cracked when police discovered $2.65 million in U.S. silver coins during a traffic stop.
Norway’s economic crime unit Okokrim announced the prison sentences Thursday, marking the end of a case involving a "major investment scheme" in the United States.
66K US silver coins seized
What we know:
Investigators had been searching for the money-laundered coins for years when they got a tip about a van swerving on a highway outside Oslo last year.
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When officers pulled the vehicle over for inspection, they discovered tens of thousands of American Eagle silver coins. A second van that arrived shortly afterward was found to be carrying tens of thousands more. The suspects scammed victims in the U.S., then converted the money into millions worth of U.S. coins.
By the numbers:
Police recovered nearly 67,000 coins worth at least $2.65 million.
An earlier hoard of 79,500 silver coins was found in 2019. Investigators were still searching for more missing U.S. silver coins, at the request of American authorities, when they made their discovery in 2025.
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The U.S. Mint produces American Eagle coins for collectors in a variety of metals, including gold, silver and palladium, each with a different value. Because the price of silver has risen significantly in the past year, the Norwegian haul is even more valuable than when it disappeared.
The coins led to three Norwegians – two men and a woman – being convicted of organizing the scam in the U.S. They each got up to 2.5 years in prison. Two Britons also faced charges, but they were acquitted.
What we don't know:
Police didn't say how many victims there are in the U.S., or what type of investment scheme was used to defraud them.
What they're saying:
"It is gratifying that the silver has been recovered and that a verdict has now been handed down, enabling the victims of the fraud in the U.S.A to have the misappropriated assets returned to them," Public Prosecutor Jon André Hvoslef-Eide said in a statement obtained by The Associated Press.
What's next:
Hvoslef-Eide said the victims can get their money back now that the judicial process is complete.
The Source: This report includes information from The Associated Press.