Two Nigerians and an accomplice have been jailed in the United Kingdom for their roles in a cryptocurrency fraud that defrauded eight victims of more than £4 million after the gang posed as police officers.
The Metropolitan Police disclosed this in a statement published on its website on Thursday.
According to the force, the three men deceived victims into believing their cryptocurrency holdings were at risk and persuaded them to transfer the assets into fake “secure police accounts”. The gang also created convincing fake police websites to support the scam before stealing and laundering the funds through a sophisticated financial network.
The convicts, identified as Anthony Ikenwe, 29, Kevin Nwamma, 25, both Nigerians, and Hamza Bashir, 23, were sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday.
Ikenwe and Nwamma were each sentenced to six years’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit fraud and five years for money laundering, with both sentences to run concurrently. Bashir received three years and nine months for conspiracy to commit fraud and three years for money laundering, also to run concurrently.
Detective Inspector Geoff Donoghue of the Metropolitan Police’s Cryptocurrency Team described the case as a complex investigation involving “calculated manipulators” who exploited victims’ trust while posing as police officers.
He said investigators painstakingly traced millions of pounds through blockchain analysis and other investigative techniques, adding that law enforcement agencies had developed the capability to trace and seize high-value cryptocurrency assets and would continue pursuing those responsible for such crimes.
The investigation began in January 2025 after several victims reported the fraud. Detectives examined blockchain transactions, financial records, communications, cryptocurrency exchange data and internet service provider records, eventually linking what appeared to be separate offences to a coordinated criminal network operating across multiple platforms and jurisdictions.
The Metropolitan Police said officers carried out coordinated raids at seven addresses across London and Essex on 20 November 2025, arresting the three suspects and recovering about £1 million directly linked to the victims’ funds.
Officers also seized about 40 mobile phones, cryptocurrency assets and luxury goods valued at more than £26,000. Forensic examinations of the recovered digital devices uncovered extensive evidence of the conspiracy.
According to the police, Ikenwe and Nwamma pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to defraud, money laundering and four counts of converting criminal property. Bashir initially denied the charges but changed his plea to guilty on the eighth day of his trial after prosecutors presented substantial evidence.
Investigators also linked more than £1 million in cryptocurrency to wallets controlled by Ikenwe. They found that the group used cryptocurrency to purchase a vehicle worth almost £60,000 and held about £500,000 in cash in a safety deposit box in Dubai.
The Metropolitan Police said the proceeds of the fraud funded luxury holidays to Thailand, Japan, Paris, Mykonos, the Maldives and the Seychelles, as well as frequent shopping trips to high-end retailers including Harrods, Hermès and Louis Vuitton, despite the suspects having little or no verified income. One of the men had declared an annual income of just £444.
The investigation also traced criminal proceeds to Nwamma through transfers from wallets containing stolen cryptocurrency into bank accounts linked to his luxury chauffeur and transport business.
The Metropolitan Police said investigations were ongoing in collaboration with UK and international partners to identify other individuals connected to the conspiracy and recover additional assets for the victims.
