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After several failed attempts Robbers Rob Icelandic Bitcoin Mines – Marking a deck of mines
![[19659007] Sindri Thor Stefansson. </strong></figcaption></figure>
<p><span style=](https://news.bitcoin.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Mug-shot.jpg "Iceland's 'Big Bitcoin Heist': Suspects Charged With Over $2M in Stolen Mining Rigs")
Already in April the Amsterdam police arrested a man named Sindri Thor Stefansson for his link to the theft of bitcoin mining material in Iceland for millions of dollars. Now, according to a translated report of court documents from Icelandic prosecutors, Stefansson and six other individuals are charged with ten criminal offenses. The seven people will be accused of possession of arms, cocaine and theft of over $ 2 million dollars of mining machinery and equipment. The court documents given to Modern Consensus explain that Icelandic officials accuse the gang of $ 871,819 of theft and the prosecution will be followed by a trial that will go before a group of judges. In addition, the law firms representing three separate mining plants sue the group for $ 1.7 million in a different case.
Stefansson and his gang allegedly were trying to steal important bitcoin mines after the group's first robbery on December 5, 2017, when they stole 100 mining facilities from Algrim Consulting. The thieves then tried to steal from the Borealis Data Center (BDC) mines, but they failed that night because they raised an alarm. According to the Icelandic police, the crew attacked the BDC mines in Ásbrú a couple of days later, but they did not succeed. After the BDC's attempts, Stefansson, Viktori Inga, Peter Stanislav and Matthíasi Jóni stole the VK data center in Borgarnes and flew with 28 Bitmain Antminers. After the success in the Borgarnes mine, the crew tries to rob the BDC again the day after Christmas and one of the suspects managed to do so inside the structure. However, once again the alarms BDC frightened the gang of thieves.
Advania Mines: The Biggest Heist
According to documents obtained from Modern Consensus columnist Brendan Sullivan, the Icelandic public prosecutors claim that on January 16, 2018 the four men took on three other individuals to rob the mines of Advania. The crew was able to steal 225 perfectly functioning Bitmain mining facilities with the help of an "inner man" and presumably wore safety uniforms. This particular robbery was the biggest of the crew and reportedly the theft took hours.
Reports state that "the inner man" gave the thieves a security access code and a layout of the Advania floor plan. The Icelandic police arrested two members of the gang on 1 February 2018, with an illegal stunner and over a pound of cocaine. From that point, one of the suspects presumably turned to Stefansson and his gang, so the police were able to track down each member of the group after the first two arrests.
An "Icelandic legal expert" who is familiar with the case explained that prosecutors are collaborating with private law firms hired by miners. Stefansson and the crew were tried for the successful theft of Algrim Consulting and the mines of Advania, but they also face charges of burglary and conspiracy for BDC attempts. Stefansson also accused her of escaping from a "low-security" corrective structure in Iceland after being arrested again in Amsterdam. The interesting thing about this story is that the time period of all the hits was during the period when the cryptocurrencies reached the peak of prices. This means that the miners have not only lost the equipment, but also important mining revenues. The "Big Bitcoin Heist" also confirms that the bitcoin miners need to keep the data structures safe and keep a tight ship. Because a robbery of a few hundred machines will cost a bit of money at a bitcoin mining operation.
What do you think of the Icelandic mines thieves? Let us know what you think of this topic in the comments section below.
Images through Shutterstock, Modern Consensus and Pixabay.
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