News / Russian Nationals Charged Over Alleged $2.3 Million Money Laundering Scheme
Russian Nationals Charged Over Alleged $2.3 Million Money Laundering Scheme
Two Russian nationals have been charged with money laundering after more than $2.3m in cash and cryptocurrency were seized on the Gold Coast.
03 min read
![](https://amlwatcher.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Russian-Nationals-Charged-Over-Alleged-2.3-Million-Money-Laundering-Scheme.webp)
Authorities have taken over $2.3m in cash and digital currency from a house on Gold Coast island as two individuals from Russia will face court charges, accused of money laundering.
The Russian duo reportedly made multiple small cash deposits in a year, keeping each payment under $10,000 in “an effort to prevent identification by regulators, stated media reports.
A man, 49, and a woman, 46, are to appear at Southport Magistrates Court. This follows searches at a Hope Island residence and a Surfers Paradise solicitor’s legal office previous year.
Police claims suggest that the two supposedly visited banks and ATM machines all over Queensland, NSW, South Australia, and Victoria throughout 2022 to launder the large amount of cash they had taken out illegally.
The alleged plot collapsed late last year when Anti-crime officers stormed the two properties and seized cryptocurrency, cash, and significant financial records, stated by AFP.
Officers from the Gold Coast Joint Organized Crime Taskforce executed a search warrant at a Hope Island home on 4 December 2023 and at a solicitor’s office in Surfers Paradise on 21 December 2023.
Federal Police announced that during a search of a property in Hope Island and a solicitor’s office in Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast in December 2023, they discovered a total of $1.95 million in cash and $425,000 in cryptocurrency, alongside a substantial collection of financial records.
You can also read: Estonian Prosecutors Conclude Swedbank’s Money Laundering Investigation
AFP Detective Superintendent Adrian Telfer expressed that money laundering gangs exhibited a high level of intelligence and ran a covert underworld economy in order to expand their personal fortunes.
According to a statement from Det Supt Telfer, these individuals are purchasing houses and commercial real estate and enjoying life in a grand style, all while being unaffected by the financial burdens faced by average Australians.
“The funds that flow through our system fuel their extravagant ways of living, paving the way for more illegal drug trade imports as well as trafficking weapons.”
Rimskiy and Bugrova both face three counts of charges each pertaining to the handling of illegal profits exceeding $1 million in value or cash, and drug dealing
Their next hearing is set on Monday in Southport Magistrates Court.
- Watchlists
- September 6, 2024
08 min read
- PEP
- September 5, 2024
03 min read
- Corruption
- September 5, 2024
04 min read
Subscribe to our Newsletter
Our best articles, news and stories, delivered to your inbox every week.