The Anti-Money Laundering Authority has taken a significant step in a complex investigation involving stolen cryptocurrency, marking the first time in Greece that crypto assets have been frozen and identified as proceeds of crime.
The case has drawn international attention, with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issuing a public alert confirming the freezing of suspicious digital assets.
The investigation began last month when the Authority received information about a suspicious transaction involving a registered user on a Greek-based cryptocurrency exchange platform.
Further checks revealed that the user’s Ethereum wallet had received a large amount of digital currency, which was later traced back to a major international theft.
The funds originated from the Bybit hack, disclosed in February, in which hackers stole approximately $1.5 billion worth of Ethereum – the largest theft of its kind to date. This incident surpassed the 2022 Ronin Network breach, in which $620 million in Ethereum and USD Coin were stolen.
Following the analysis, the Authority issued a Seizure Order for the wallet and the crypto assets it contained. The relevant documentation has been forwarded to the Prosecutorial Authority for further investigation.
