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RUS multimillion-dollar organized crime money laundering network busted through cryptocurrencies! It also financed Russian SPIES

2024-12-05 16:43:22Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
RUS multimillion-dollar organized crime money laundering network busted through
Fawad Saiedi and Eketarina Zhdanova

A motorist who was stopped on the M1 motorway with more than £250,000 in "cash" in 2021 led to the collapse of a multi-billion Russian money laundering scheme, UK police have revealed.

Two billion-pound networks that helped launder criminal money taken by Russian hackers through Britain via drug gangs have been exposed in an international crackdown, British authorities said.

Led by two Russian millionaires, they have used their organizations to launder millions of pounds from organized crime.

This system has also helped fund Russian spies in other countries, as well as aided individuals and organizations seeking to circumvent sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine.

The National Crime Agency's (NCA) investigation uncovered an international money-laundering "laundry" run by Russian ransomware group Ryuk, which is believed to have extorted at least £27m from 149 victims in the UK. including hospitals, schools, businesses and local authorities.

But the true scale of the international operation was revealed by the arrest of courier Fawad Saiedi, who was stopped by the Metropolitan Police while traveling south on the M1 towards London in November 2021.

An initial search of the vehicle revealed Saiedi was carrying more than £250,000 in "cash" and a further £24,500 was seized at his home, along with a cash counting machine.

However, further investigation revealed that Saied had transferred £15,667,720 as part of his role as a courier, a figure which the defendant did not dispute.

Saiedi, who was sentenced to four years and four months in prison after pleading guilty to possession and transfer of criminal property in May 2022, was found to have been under the orders of Nikita Krasnov and Eketarina Zhdanova.

Zhdanova, a charming woman who has graced the covers of Russian business magazines, is the head of the SMART network and worked closely with Krasnov to facilitate her money laundering activities.

The articles indicate that Zhdanova grew up in Serbia before moving to Moscow and entering the finance industry.

Meanwhile, George Rossi is the head of a second network, TGR Group - an illegal operation supported by Elena Chirkinyan, his second in command.

Evidence suggests that Rossi may have been a Russian banker who temporarily moved to Europe before continuing to operate his scheme.

Together, SMART and the TGR Group operate in approximately 30 countries around the globe. The Russian state uses the networks to fund espionage operations, while they also help sanctioned individuals receive money in other countries, British media reported.

Sal Melki, head of illicit finance at the NCA, who led the raid dubbed Operation Destabilisation, said Zhdanova was "not the typical boss" of organized crime, but someone who "presents herself as a legitimate business person".

The networks functioned by pooling funds in one jurisdiction and realizing their value without using the global banking system. This often involves exchanging cryptocurrency for cash.

For example, the network could link a Russian cybercrime group with the equivalent of $1 million in cryptocurrency made through a ransomware attack, with a UK drug crime group with the same amount of money.

The network would arrange for the gang to be paid in cryptocurrency in exchange for "cash", which would then be laundered abroad through cash-intensive businesses such as construction companies and a variety of international business accounts.

Once the cash was cleared, the network would ensure that its value was transferred to the original customer, potentially as physical money or other assets such as shares.

However, some sanctioned individuals are believed to be using the system to invest in UK property and expensive goods, as networks ensured the original source of funds was disguised.

The networks operate throughout Russia, the Middle East and large parts of the West.

In October 2021, three suspects were arrested after trying to launder around £60,000 in used banknotes in Jersey.

Evidence from seized mobile phones, documentation, invoices and lists later revealed their involvement in subletting UK properties paid for in cash from drug trafficking or prostitution.

Gangs in the system use their newly minted cryptocurrency to buy drugs and firearms, often from South American countries.

From late 2022 to summer 2023, the Russian state used the SMART network to finance Russian espionage operations.

The TGR Group is also said to have been involved in the transfer of funds from the state-controlled television network RT (Russia Today) to UK-based Russian-speaking journalists.

So far, at least 84 people have been arrested as a result of investigations coordinated by the NCA, with at least 70 in the UK and £20 million seized so far.

However, with Saied believed to have transferred at least £15m, the true amount of money involved is thought to be much higher.

As a result, some individuals have been sanctioned, arrested, or hit with both measures.

Zhdanova was sanctioned by the US last year and is currently in custody in France. Rossi's whereabouts are currently unknown.

Rob Jones, director of general operations at the NCA, said: “Operation Destabilize is the most significant money laundering operation the NCA has undertaken in 10 years. It targets, attacks and significantly undermines a money-laundering pool of crime and cryptocurrencies that allows the unprecedented transfer of value internationally between crime groups.

He added: "Almost everything bad you can find about organized crime has been supported by this platform."

Dan Jarvis, security minister, said: “Illicit finance causes huge damage around the world and this major global operation marks an important step against economic crime.

“Led by the National Crime Agency working with the Border Force, Operation Destabilize has exposed Russian kleptocrats, drug gangs and cybercriminals who all relied on the flow of dirty money.

"The UK and its allies will continue to work together to crack down on illicit finance and the crime it enables."

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