Two individuals of a prison gang had been jailed for a mixed 13 years for laundering tens of millions of kilos via exploiting the conflict in Ukraine.
The gang used prison cash to shop for trucks and lorries in the United Kingdom to promote in Ukraine after the beginning of the conflict, prior to changing their profits into cryptocurrency.
They exploited the authentic call for for cars in Ukraine, and the loss of law round cryptocurrency in Ukraine, to launder £6.63m between 2022 and 2023.
Symbol: Police recovered tens of hundreds of kilos in money. Pic: Metropolitan Police
Valeriy Popovych, 52, from Sunbury‐on‐Thames, and Vitaliy Lutsak, 43, from Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, will each serve 6.5 years in jail, after a five-week trial.
Popovych’s spouse, 42-year-old Oksana Popovych, additionally from Sunbury‐on‐Thames, is because of be sentenced on 30 Might.
They have been all discovered accountable of shifting prison belongings – or cash laundering – and working an unregistered cash provider trade, following an investigation via the Metropolitan Police’s financial crime crew.
Symbol: The pair used an export trade to ‘blank’ the cash. Pic: Metropolitan Police
At Monday’s sentencing, Justice John Dodd KC instructed the lads: “This obviously used to be refined offending, performed over a sustained duration.
“I am happy each and every of you performed a number one function on this operation.”
Valeriy Popovych ran an export trade, Dash Industrial Ltd, purchasing the cars in the United Kingdom from authentic buyers and promoting them in Ukraine. His spouse used to be additionally hired via the trade.
Symbol: Valeriy Popovych. Pic: Metropolitan Police
He would acquire the cars with prison money, prior to the sale proceeds have been deposited in Ukraine in a cash provider trade, or foreign money alternate, after which transformed into cryptocurrency.
Lutsak acted as the cash coordinator within the operation, sending Popovych to assemble the unlawful money from prison shoppers in the United Kingdom, which he’d then use to shop for the cars. Police discovered greater than $14m in cryptocurrency had handed thru his ‘cryptowallets’ saved on his laptop.
Part of the laundered money used to be managed via a Russian nationwide referred to as Semen Kuksov, who used to be convicted on 27 October 2023 at Southwark Crown Court docket, underneath the Nationwide Crime Company’s (NCA) Operation Destabilise.
Kuksov used to be sentenced to 5 years and 7 months’ imprisonment at Southwark Crown Court docket in February 2024.
Throughout the investigation into Popovych and Lutsak, police exposed a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet proving they laundered £6.63m of money between August 2022 and June 2023.
Symbol: Vitaliy Lutsak. Pic: Metropolitan Police
The prison endeavor enabled Valeriy and Oksana Popovych to buy a 2nd space in southwest London for slightly below £1m.
Performing on intelligence on 28 June 2023, police stopped a automobile in Twickenham, wherein Valeiry Popovych used to be the passenger. Met officials discovered greater than £60,000 in money within the automobile prior to arresting him on the scene.
Symbol: Pic: Metropolitan Police
Officials then searched his deal with on Gloucester Street, Feltham, the place they recovered £130,000 in money. This cash used to be seized at the side of his digital units.
The Financial Crime Unit came upon the hyperlink with Oksana and Lutsak, who have been arrested of their houses on 15 Might 2024.
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The Met’s financial crime unit labored with spouse companies together with the NCA, HM Earnings and Customs and the Monetary Habits Authority to behavior their investigation. It concerned assessing complicated proof, together with chats, cash transactions, CCTV, cryptocurrency wallets and contact logs.
Negeen Momtahen, specialist prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Carrier, says cash laundering is not a “victimless crime” and so they intention to confiscate the cash won thru their criminality.
