SMASH & NAB

British cops stop Crypto Queen's money laundering ring | Russian spies, drug lords and crime gangs moved billions

- NICK SOMMERLAD

A CRACKDOWN on a multi-billion pound Russian money laundering operation with tentacles in every part of the UK was led by the National Crime Agency.

Bosses said the international laundromat stretched "from McMafia, through to Narcos, through to Le Carre" as drugs gangs, cybercriminals and spies worked together.

The syndicate, led by glamorous Ekaterina Zhdanova and Russian-born Ukrainian George Rossi, swapped cash from British street gangs for cyber-currency held by Russian hackers.

The NCA's Operation Destabilise led the international efforts against Zhdanova's 'Smart' and Rossi's 'TGR' networks. Some 84 suspects were arrested, mainly in the UK, and £20million in cash and cryptocurrency was seized.

Zhdanova was born in Siberia and built a network of contacts in Moscow during a career in financial services.

She graced the covers of multiple business magazines and was photographed on ski slopes.

Zhdanova and Rossi are thought to have made many millions in commission from laundering money around the world, with the laundromat charging around 3% for its service.

British criminals used the crypto to buy drugs from South American cartels as well as weapons, fuelling more crime on our streets. Their cash was laundered through businesses or smuggled out of the country by couriers.