Inside Operation Destabilise: How a ransomware investigation linked Russian money laundering and street-level drug dealing

Category	Details
Threat Actors	Ryuk ransomware group, Conti ransomware group, Trickbot gang, Russian money-laundering networks, Smart Group, TGR Group.
Campaign Overview	Operation Destabilise investigated global money laundering tied to ransomware, organized crime, and Russian espionage.
Target Regions	UK, Russia, South America, UAE, multiple jurisdictions globally.
Methodology	Blockchain analysis, cash-for-crypto schemes, covert operations, centralized data analysis, forensic evidence collection.
Product Targeted	Cryptocurrency (e.g., USD Tether), high-cash turnover businesses, real estate, shares, bonds.
Malware Reference	Ryuk ransomware, Conti ransomware, Trickbot banking trojan.
Tools Used	Blockchain tracking, data analysis, covert surveillance, traditional and digital forensic techniques.
Vulnerabilities Exploited	Exploitation of financial systems and cryptocurrency networks for laundering proceeds.
TTPs	Use of couriers for cash-to-crypto transactions, leveraging blockchain to transfer value globally, laundering through legitimate businesses.
Attribution	Russian criminal networks, Moscow elites, Kremlin-linked espionage, and transnational drug traffickers.
Recommendations	Strengthen collaboration between law enforcement and counterintelligence, enhance blockchain monitoring, disrupt courier networks.
Source	The Record

Read full article: https://therecord.media/operation-destabilise-money-laundering-investigation-uk-nca

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