Two members of a money laundering gang who exploited the Russia-Ukraine war have been jailed for a combined 13 years following a complex investigation by the Metropolitan Police’s economic crime team. The group laundered more than £6 million by purchasing vehicles in the UK and selling them to Ukraine, then converting the proceeds into cryptocurrency.
Sentencing and Key Players
Valeriy Popovych, 52, of Sunbury-on-Thames, and Vitaliy Lutsak, 43, of Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, were sentenced to six years and six months each at Wood Green Crown Court on April 7, 2025. A third accomplice, Oksana Popovych, 42, also of Sunbury-on-Thames, will be sentenced on May 30, 2025.
The trio were convicted of transferring criminal property and running an unregistered money service business after a five-week trial. The gang capitalized on the legitimate demand for vehicles in Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict and took advantage of cryptocurrency’s minimal regulation to launder millions.
How the Scheme Worked
Valeriy Popovych operated an export business called Sprint Commercial Ltd, ostensibly purchasing vans and lorries in the UK and selling them to Ukraine. The profits were then converted into cryptocurrency to obscure the money trail.
Vitaliy Lutsak acted as the money co-ordinator, dispatching the Popovychs to collect cash from customers in the UK. During the investigation, officers discovered over $14 million in cryptocurrency stored on Lutsak’s computer.
One significant portion of the laundered cash was linked to Russian national Semen Kuksov, who had been previously convicted under the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) Operation Destabilise and sentenced to five years and seven months in February 2024.
The Investigation
The gang’s downfall began when officers stopped a vehicle in Twickenham on June 28, 2023, where Valeriy Popovych was found with over £60,000 in cash. A subsequent search of his home in Feltham revealed an additional £130,000.
Further investigations connected Oksana Popovych and Vitaliy Lutsak to the operation. They were arrested on May 15, 2024, and subsequently charged. Officers uncovered crucial evidence, including chat logs, money transactions, CCTV footage, and cryptocurrency wallets. The most damning piece was an Excel spreadsheet titled ‘V Enf Acc’, which revealed over £6 million laundered between August 2022 and June 2023.
The Met’s economic crime unit worked closely with the NCA, HM Revenue and Customs, and the Financial Conduct Authority throughout the investigation, gathering a wealth of complex evidence.
Official Statements
Detective Constable Harry Davies, who led the investigation, stated:
“This was a thorough and complex investigation into an organised crime gang operating internationally. Mr Popovych presented himself as a hardworking, legitimate tradesman while callously exploiting the conflict in Ukraine for profit. The sentences show our commitment to tackling organised crime groups.”
Negeen Momtahen, Specialist Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, added:
“These defendants used an export business as a front to launder millions. Money laundering is not a victimless crime; it fuels criminal enterprises. We will pursue confiscation proceedings to strip them of any illicit gains.”
Community Impact and Next Steps
The crime gang’s activities not only exploited a humanitarian crisis but also posed significant risks to UK financial integrity. The Metropolitan Police reaffirmed their commitment to pursuing criminal gangs that use global conflicts as opportunities for illegal profit.
The confiscation proceedings are now underway to recover the criminal benefits amassed from this multi-million-pound operation. The case highlights the importance of international cooperation in tackling economic crime and money laundering linked to organised crime networks.
