At the heart of the Russian money-laundering network are two linked criminal networks, Smart and TGR. These groups provide professional money-laundering services to numerous organised criminal groups operating in the UK and elsewhere. They collect the cash proceeds from street-level drug dealing and exchange it for cryptocurrency, which can then be used by the gangs to purchase drugs and firearms. The cryptocurrency itself is sometimes the product of other criminal activities, notably ransomware, enabling cybercriminals to exchange the proceeds of their crimes for cash. Everyone gets what they want – a perfect vicious circle of crime and money. More here…
