The Spanish authorities have succeeded in arresting the so-called “Denis K”, the man who led a cybercriminal team. They are accused of stealing 1 billion euros worth in Bitcoin from banks all over the world, according to Europol.

Ukrainian and Russian cybercriminals arrested for stealing 1 billion euros worth in BTC

The group is made up of Russian and Ukrainian citizens who have managed to check and take control of the banks around the world by spamming employees’ emails and malware their devices. Once they entered the servers, they had a free hand for any operation. Thus, from the bank side, they have released cash from the bankers.

The group also owns a Bitcoin mining center, compared to a money laundering mine, according to the authorities. In order to caught the team leader, the authorities have collaborated with police forces based in the United States, Asia and Europe, as well as private security institutions operating in the cyber industry. Following several investments and prosecutions, the suspect leader was found and arrested in Alicante, Spain.

The Ukrainian-Russian team has been operating on the market since 2013, having partners from 40 countries and attacking more than 100 financial institutions, according to Europol. The Interior Minister of Spain, led by Mr. Juan Ignacio Zoido, said that three other partners were found and laid behind bars.

They froze the attackers’ accounts and confiscated all the fortune that reaches 1 billion euros. According to the Europol’s statement, “With that level of access, the nefarious individuals authorize fraudulent bank transfers, raise the balances of mule accounts or command affected ATMs to spit out the money for them”.

Criminals have accumulated 15,000 BTC

Criminals have been able to collect 15,000 Bitcoins following the conversion of fiat money through a crypto exchange in the house of one of the members. Cryptocurrencies were then split into partners’ accounts.

Denis K, who is the team leader, was registered using money in Gibraltar and the UK, planning to consume the vast majority of Bitcoins on cars and homes in Spain.

Cyber-criminal attacks are a widely discussed topic in the crypto community. The attackers manage to falsify data, steal money and perform illegal activities that are penalized with jail for life or even worse.