CNN —UK and US authorities on Wednesday announced a major crackdown on a pair of billion-dollar money laundering rings that officials say has cleaned money for Russia’s elite, cybercriminals and drug-runners around the world. The two alleged money-laundering networks offered Russian elites a financial lifeline, UK investigators allege. The Treasury Department on Wednesday announced sanctions on alleged senior leaders of one of the laundering rings, which is known as TGR. Pullman Global Solutions LLC, a Wyoming based entity owned by Bradens, was also sanctioned, Treasury said. NCA officials allege that the Kremlin has directly benefited from some of the money laundering, which the officials say has been used to fund Russian espionage operations.

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Persons: ” Will Lyne, NCA’s, ” Rob Jones, George Rossi, Elena Chirkinyan, Andrejs Bradens, Ekaterina Zhdanova, Matthew Miller Organizations: CNN —, Wednesday, US Treasury Department, CNN, Agency, Britain’s, Treasury Department, Pullman Global Solutions, Bradens, Treasury, Cybercriminals, South, State Department, University of Vermont Health Network, IRS Locations: France, Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russian, Latvian, Wyoming, Dubai, Dublin, South American, London