A HONEYTRAP spy ring have been jailed after passing secrets to Russia for three years from their British guesthouse base.
Orlin Roussev, Biser Dzhambazov, Katrin Ivanova, Tihomir Ivanchev, Ivan Stoyanov and Vanya Gaberova plotted stings on British soil.
East2west NewsVanya Gaberova has been found guilty of spying for Russia[/caption]
PAKatrin Ivanova has also been convicted[/caption]
PAOperations were carried out at his Great Yarmouth guesthouse[/caption]
The group used sophisticated technology stored at the seaside home
Ivanova and Gaberova were known as the “killer sexy brunettes” but became embroiled in a love triangle with a leading member of the spy cell.
The pair were used in honeytrap operations to gather intel on Kremlin targets, with the group of six Bulgarians paid huge sums of money.
Ex-tech worker Roussev, 46, ran the ring, which posed a chilling threat to national security.
Police raiding his unassuming 33-bedroom guesthouse in Great Yarmouth discovered a treasure trove of evidence.
The group have now been jailed for a total of more than 50 years after they were convicted of conspiracy to spy for Russia.
Ringleader Roussev was jailed for ten years and eight months, while Dzhambazov was sentenced to ten years and two months.
Ivanova was jailed for nine years and eight months and Gaberova received six years and eight months.
Ivanchev was jailed for eight years for his part in the role, while Stoyanov was sentenced to five years and three weeks.
The head of Met counter terror, Dominic Murphy, previously warned similar cells could be operating as Britain becomes a “more hostile environment.
He added: “The reality is this won’t be the only activity Russia is conducting here in the UK and we have seen other disruptions here in recent months.”
The court was told the group carried out their espionage over three years – during which time they were referred to as Despicable Me’s yellow sidekicks the Minions.
Behind the surveillance operations, the spies were caught up in a tangled love life.
“Besotted” Gaberova was having an affair with Dzhambazov, 43, who ran ground operations and was in a relationship with lab assistant Ivanova.
PAGaberova was arrested naked in a bed with Biser Dzhambazov[/caption]
FacebookHe was in a relationship with Ivanovna[/caption]
PAA Minion toy that was adapted with a camera[/caption]
PAA Coca Cola bottled had also been modified for spying[/caption]
Dzhambazov secretly moved Gaberova into a flat near his work as a delivery driver at a blood testing laboratory in Euston.
He even faked a brain tumour to cover for his absences with Ivanova while he was bedding his mistress – wearing a bandage on his head in one video call with his partner.
When cops arrested Dzhambazov, they found him naked in bed with Gaberova at her flat.
The spy ring was controlled by Jan Marsalek on behalf of Russia’s GRU military intelligence and the FSB state security service.
Marsalek, 43, is at the centre of an Interpol Red Notice after going on the run when his tech company collapsed in 2020.
The Bulgarian spies all had EU settled status enabling them to travel freely across Europe from the UK.
Roussev recruited the group in August 2020, with operations carried out in London, Valencia, Montenegro and Stuttgart.
The spies also conducted surveillance on a US base in Germany where they believed Ukrainian soldiers were being trained to operate Patriot missile air defences.
They helped supply Russia with drones, laptops and military equipment in order to help Putin’s state evade sanctions.
Roussev boasted about his “Brunette Twins” Ivanova and Gaberova as he plotted to use the women to make porn films with victims.
Targets included investigative journalists, Russian dissidents and political figures.
Roussev and Marsalek also plotted murder and kidnap in service of the Kremlin but the plans were never carried out.
Dzhambazov pleaded guilty to spying before the trial began along with Roussev.
A sixth member of the spy ring, mixed martial arts fighter Ivan ‘The Rock’ Stoyanov ,33, also admitted spying.
Beautician Gaberova, 30, and Ivanova, 33, were convicted of espionage offences under the Official Secrets Act.
Ivanova was also found guilty of possessing nine false identity documents.
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “The investigation team worked incredibly hard to piece together a complex and wide-ranging conspiracy that I would describe as espionage on an industrial scale.
“The significant jail sentences handed to the group reflect the serious threat they posed to the safety and interests of the UK, as well as targets across Europe.
“This case is a clear example of the increasing amount of state threat casework we are dealing with in the UK. It also highlights a relatively new phenomenon whereby espionage is being ‘outsourced’ by certain states.
“Regardless of the form the threat takes, this investigation shows that we will take action to identify and disrupt any such activity that puts UK national security and the safety of the public at risk.”
PAGaberova has now been jailed[/caption]
Orlin Roussev ran the spy ring
FacebookIvanova targeted Kremlin targets in the UK[/caption]
Ivan Iliev Stoyanov was convicted of carrying out surveillance for Putin
PATihomir Ivanov Ivanchev has also been jailed for his part in the spy ring[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
