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Russian money laundering through construction companies in England, how the networks operated and the role of the beauty who grew up in Serbia!

2024-12-04 22:00:43Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

 

Russian money laundering through construction companies in England, how the
Ekaterina Zhdanova

 

A motorist who was stopped on the M1 with more than £250,000 in cash led to the discovery and crackdown of a multi-billion Russian laundering scheme, police have revealed.

Two networks which helped launder criminal money taken by Russian hackers through Britain via drug gangs have been exposed in an international crackdown.

The system also helped fund Russian spies in various countries, as well as helping individuals and organizations seeking to circumvent sanctions imposed after Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine .

An NCA investigation was directed at Russian ransomware group Ryuk, which is thought to have extorted at least £27 million from 149 people 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.

A 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, investigations revealed that Saiedi had transferred £15,667,720 while acting as courier and collector - a figure which the defendant did not dispute.

Saiedi, who was sentenced to 4 years and 4 months in prison and pleaded guilty to possession and transfer of criminal property in May 2022, had been under the orders of Nikita Krasnov and Eketarina Zhdanova.

Zhdanova, a glamorous 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.

Zhdanova grew up in Serbia before moving to Moscow and working in the finance industry.

Meanwhile, George Rossi is the head of a second network, the TGR Group – an illegal operation also supported by Elena Chirkinyan. 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.

Sal Melki of the NCA, who led the operation codenamed "Operation Destabilization", said Zhdanova was "not the typical boss" of organized crime, but someone who "presented herself as a legitimate businesswoman".

Melki described Zhdanova and Rossi as "interesting characters".

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, via a ransomware attack, to a UK drug gang 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 businesses such as construction companies and a variety of international business accounts.

Once the amounts were cleared, the network would ensure that its value was transferred to the original customer, potentially as physical cash or active shares.

Some sanctioned individuals are believed to be using the system to invest in UK property.

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

Intercepts and messages from seized mobile phones, documentation, invoices and lists later revealed their involvement in the purchase of UK properties paid for with cash obtained 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 to UK-based Russian-speaking journalists.

So far, at least 84 people have been arrested as a result of investigations coordinated by the NCA, while £20m has been seized so far.

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

However, there are concerns that those arrested may be replaced by other figures connected or within the networks./ DailyMail

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