They are investigating “The Smurfs”, a band that would have a connection with the Russian Sergei Vagin

The novel by Russian Sergei Vagin in Colombia continues: the authorities opened an investigation against a gang made up of 77 people, 4 of them of Russian nationality, who moved large amounts of money through sports platforms to exchange them for cryptocurrencies and take them out of the country.

“The Smurfs”, as this gang is called, would allegedly be associated with Vagin, to contact users of these platforms and offer them a sum of money for the opening and management of these accounts in order to move assets in the country.

This is according to an investigation carried out by the Attorney General's Office, headed by Prosecutor Lenar Armando Colmenares, who presented before the 29th municipal criminal judge for the control of guarantees the evidence that would link these people as well as Sergei Vagin, who is also being investigated for recording excesses in the protests social networks and broadcast them on their social networks.

In addition, the prosecutor told “The Smurfs” of money laundering: “By placing bets from different parts of the world, for which they are looking for citizens mainly in the country, who were probably offered to lend their name, in order to open bank accounts, he has considered it useful to issue 4 orders to the Police Judicial to obtain confidential information from a list of 73 persons,” says the investigation by the Prosecutor's Office, cited by the BLU RADIO station.

Against this background, the judge asked both Migration Colombia and the Banco de la República and the Attorney General's Office to provide the necessary evidence to identify whether the band committed the crimes of non-consensual transfer of assets, among others.

More Evidence Revealed of Alleged Interference by Russian Citizens in Protest Days in Colombia

The alleged relationship between Sergei Vagin and the illegal armed group is that the bridge of contact between the foreigner and the guerrillas would be through the personnel who apparently handle the trafficking of war material; that is, weapons and various elements that open the way to violent acts, as has been presumed by their relationship with the demonstrations and various acts of belligerence in them.

Regarding the Russian citizen, the Prosecutor's Office carried out a search on her home in the north of Bogotá, in this case, as in the Vagin trial, both documents and computers were found in this house, according to RCN News, 5 USB sticks with documents in digital format and different evidence, in addition to 4 computers.

In the electronic devices found in this operation, different fragments of documents were found that are for the exclusive use of foreign agencies, where topics of espionage instruction predominate, as well as blogs for the protection of information, highlighting the secrecy that must be maintained and the prudence of the material classified.

Although these documents cause concern among the authorities, the finding of a guide is dismayed by them, since they contain different steps for the storage of both weapons and ammunition, as well as their safety, added to this, several Russian intelligence instructions that could be applied in this case.

According to La FM, the authorities were able to determine that she would lead an money laundering network that would be present in the country, thanks to 18 technology and household supplies companies, as well as other sectors of commerce. Since 2018, this foreigner has paid 146 million dollars into the country, through these business movements.

The Russian Embassy in Colombia, has spoken out, stating that it is against a so-called local media campaign, which seeks to discredit that country, in addition to fragmenting relations with Colombia, in this case, they pointed out that they have no link to Vagin and simply offered to contact the media, to explain their panorama, in a statement they stated: “It is up to us to reject once again, in a more categorical way, attempts to damage relations between Russia and Colombia, which are undertaken by irresponsibly launching statements lacking any evidence, about alleged interference by the Russian state in internal processes politicians of this Latin American country”.

In Context | More Evidence Revealed of Alleged Interference by Russian Citizens in Protest Days in Colombia - Infobae

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