A fugitive crime boss from London once dubbed “Don Car-leone” because of his luxury car fleet is facing the seizure of £3.5 million of Bitcoin held in an African account after a judge was told to reject his claim that the money was made trading gold bullion in Dubai.
Alexander Surin — who has already been made to surrender three Ferraris, a Rolls-Royce and money from the sale of a Bugatti Veyron to the National Crime Agency as the proceeds of crime — opened his cryptocurrency account with a company called Coinbase Kenya.
He has claimed the Bitcoin in it was earned lawfully from two sales in Dubai’s gold souk in deals with a trader operating out of “small rooms in shops or buildings” who has no website or bookkeeping records and conducts his business on the basis of “trust and reputation”.
But barrister Martin Evans KC, for the CPS, told the High Court there was “compelling” evidence the money was made through drug dealing and money laundering. He said two “large transfers” into the Coinbase Kenya account were made from Christian Hargreaves, who was later jailed in the UK for 17 years for conspiracy to supply class A drugs, during the period covered by the conviction.
On the cryptocurrency in the African account, Mr Evans said the fact that Surin and Hargreaves are British created the “sufficient connection to England and Wales” required by proceeds of crime legislation for seizure to go ahead.
In response, Surin, who is believed to now be living in Dubai, has claimed in email correspondence that there is “no evidence to show my involvement in any criminality to suggest that the bitcoins were the proceeds of crime”.
Mr Evans told the court that apart from two fake invoices, Surin had provided no records to explain how he had become so wealthy after having previous assets seized. In 2015, after Surin’s conviction in France for drug trafficking, the NCA brought a High Court action which resulted in him being made to hand over the cars and other assets including four London homes.
A judgment will be issued later stating whether the court will allow prosecutors to seize the Bitcoin on the basis of the evidence submitted so far or if a full trial will be required.
