The convicts were identified as Anthony Ikenwe, 29, Hamza Bashir, 23, and Kevin Nwamma, 25.
At least two Nigerian men and one other have been jailed in the United Kingdom after defrauding eight victims of more than £4 million (₦7.4 billion) worth of cryptocurrency by impersonating police officers and convincing them to transfer their digital assets into what they falsely claimed were secure police accounts.
The Metropolitan Police disclosed the convictions in a statement on its website, saying the trio orchestrated a sophisticated fraud scheme that relied on fake police websites and a complex money laundering network to steal and conceal the victims’ funds.
The convicts were identified as Anthony Ikenwe, 29, Hamza Bashir, 23, and Kevin Nwamma, 25.
According to the police, the men telephoned victims while posing as police officers, falsely warning them that their cryptocurrency accounts had been compromised.
The victims were persuaded either to provide account details or transfer their holdings into what they believed were secure police-controlled accounts.
However, the funds were immediately stolen and laundered through an elaborate financial network.
“The three men called their victims claiming to be police officers, told them their cryptocurrency was at risk and persuaded them to either provide account details or transfer the funds to what the victims believed were secure police accounts,” the Metropolitan Police said.
“In fact, the highly organised gang had designed convincing looking police websites, and the victim’s cryptocurrency was immediately stolen and laundered through a complex financial network.”
The investigation began in January 2025 after several victims reported the fraud to the police.
Detectives said they employed blockchain analysis, communications data, financial records, cryptocurrency exchange records and internet service provider data to uncover the criminal operation.
Investigators also identified common aliases, telephone numbers, fake websites, cryptocurrency wallets and spending patterns linking what initially appeared to be separate fraud cases into a single organised criminal network operating across multiple jurisdictions.
The Metropolitan Police said officers uncovered evidence that the defendants had financed lavish lifestyles with the proceeds of the fraud despite having little or no legitimate income.
According to investigators, the group purchased luxury cars, designer clothing, Rolex watches and embarked on expensive holidays using stolen funds.
Police said one of the defendants had a recorded annual income of just £444.
Detective Inspector Geoff Donoghue of the Metropolitan Police’s Cryptocurrency Team described the investigation as highly complex.
“This was a highly complex investigation into a group of calculated manipulators who exploited victims’ trust by pretending to be police officers and spent other people’s money to fund their extravagant lifestyles,” Donoghue said.
“The Met’s Cryptocurrency Team painstakingly traced millions of pounds, combining a wide range of investigative techniques to dismantle a significant criminal network.”
He warned that law enforcement agencies now possess the capability to track cryptocurrency-related crimes.
“Criminals should be under no illusion – policing is evolving alongside technology.
“We have the capabilities to trace and seize high-value assets, and we will do everything in our power to identify those responsible for these fraudulent crimes and bring them to justice,” he added.
The defendants were sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday.
Ikenwe, of Bata Mews, East Tilbury, received six years’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit fraud and five years for money laundering, with both sentences to run concurrently.
Nwamma, of Clarendon Road, Watford, received identical concurrent sentences of six years for conspiracy to commit fraud and five years for money laundering.
Bashir, of Beverley Way, Wimbledon, was sentenced to three years and nine months for conspiracy to commit fraud and three years for money laundering, also to run concurrently.
Police said coordinated raids carried out on November 20, 2025, across seven addresses in London and Essex led to the arrest of all three suspects.
During the operation, officers seized about 40 mobile phones, cryptocurrency assets, luxury goods and other digital devices.
Investigators recovered approximately £1 million directly linked to the victims’ stolen funds, while forensic examinations of seized phones and computers uncovered extensive evidence of the conspiracy.
According to the Metropolitan Police, Ikenwe and Nwamma pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to defraud and money laundering offences, including four counts of converting criminal property.
Bashir initially denied involvement and proceeded to trial before changing his plea to guilty on the eighth day after prosecutors presented what police described as substantial evidence against him.
The investigation also uncovered more than £1 million in cryptocurrency linked to digital wallets controlled by Ikenwe.
Police further discovered that the group purchased a vehicle worth nearly £60,000 using cryptocurrency and held approximately £500,000 in cash inside a safety deposit box in Dubai.
Investigators also traced luxury holidays to Thailand, Japan, Paris, Mykonos, the Maldives and the Seychelles, as well as regular spending at high-end retailers including Harrods, Hermès and Louis Vuitton.
Luxury goods worth more than £26,000 were recovered during police searches.
Investigators additionally linked criminal proceeds to Nwamma after tracing transfers from cryptocurrency wallets containing stolen funds into bank accounts connected to his luxury chauffeur and transport business.
The Metropolitan Police said investigations are continuing in collaboration with UK and international partners to identify other individuals involved in the conspiracy and recover additional criminal assets for the benefit of victims.