66,860 silver coins were recovered incidentally when the police responded to a call about a van swerving from side to side on the E18 in Bærum in April 2025. Upon closer inspection, the van was found to be laden with American silver coins. Another van searched was likewise found to be full of American silver coins. The 66,860 silver coins have a current total worth of at least NOK 25 million (over EUR 2 million).
 
- I am extremely pleased that the silver was recovered and those responsible convicted, so that assets can be returned to the defrauded investors in the USA, says Senior Public Prosecutor Jon André Hvoslef-Eide, who prosecuted the case in court.
 
The coins derive from a large-scale investment fraud in the USA, and Økokrim assisted the US investigation from 2018. In 2019, during a search at an address in Jongskollen, Bærum, Økokrim found and seized 79,500 American silver coins, worth about NOK 17 million at the time. 
 
Not all the coins Økokrim was looking for were recovered in 2019; they remained missing until found by chance on the E18 last year. The district court found it proven that a few years after the 2019 raid in Jongskollen, the coins were moved to other addresses in eastern and southern Norway. Now three persons have been handed prison sentences for aggravated money laundering by storing the coins. 
 
- To successfully commit serious crime, lawbreakers often rely on help to hide the proceeds of their criminal activities. The convictions send a clear message that money laundering carries strict sentences, says Hvoslef-Eide.
 
Those convicted are: 
• A man, Norwegian national, was found guilty of aggravated money laundering (organising and storage) and handed a 2-year and 6-month prison sentence.
• A woman, Norwegian national, was found guilty of negligent aggravated money laundering (storage) and handed a 6-month prison sentence. 
• A man, Norwegian national, was found guilty of negligent aggravated money laundering (storage) and handed a 10-month suspended prison sentence.
 
In addition, two British nationals were indicted for negligent aggravated money laundering by transporting the coins. Both were acquitted. 
 
- We take note of the acquittals, and will now use the appeal window to evaluate whether the prosecution will appeal the decision to the Court of Appeal, says Hvoslef-Eide.
 
Five more suspects were charged in the case, but the charges against them were dropped. 
The judgment is not final.