Three Bulgarians have been found guilty of participating in one of the “largest and most complex” Russian spy operations uncovered on UK soil.
Vanya Gaberova, 30, Tihomir Ivanov Ivanchev, 39, and Katrin Ivanova, 33, have been found guilty at the Old Bailey.
The trip, dubbed "The Minions", engaged in a series of surveillance and intelligence operations over three years, putting lives and national security at risk.
Instead of a cartoon evil mastermind Gru, the defendants acted as spies working for the Russian intelligence service, also known as GRU.
Tihomir Ivanov Ivanchev being interviewed by police
PA
They were directed by alleged Russian agent Jan Marsalek, 44, an Austrian businessman wanted by Interpol after the collapse of German payment processing firm Wirecard.
Marsalek acted as a go-between for Russian intelligence and ringleader Orlin Roussev, 47, in Great Yarmouth who received more than 200,000 euros (over £165,600) to fund the spying activities.
He deployed the Minions with second-in-command Biser Dzhambazov, 43, who was in a love triangle with two of the team – his partner Ivanova and beautician Gaberova, jurors heard.
A jury deliberated for more than 32 hours to find Ivanova, of Harrow, Gaberova, of Euston, and Ivanchev, of Acton, guilty on Friday of plotting to spy for an enemy state. Ivanova was also convicted of having a stash of falseidentity documents "with improper intention”, which Roussev and Dzhambazov admitted along with the spy plot.
The arrest of spy chief Orlin Roussev in Great Yarmouth
PA
Met counter-terrorism chief Commander Dominic Murphy told PA news agency: "This was industrial-scale espionage on behalf of Russia.
"This is one of the largest and most complex examples of a group working for a foreign state to conduct intelligence surveillance operations here in the UK so it is a significant case and I am very proud of the investigation team and the success they have had.
"Really sophisticated devices – the sort of thing you would really expect to see in a spy novel – were found here, in Great Yarmouth and London. I have never seen anything like this in my more than 20 years in counter-terrorism. It was an extremely sophisticated operation.
"Reading some of the messages and content on the devices you might be tempted to think this is not a serious threat, but behind those nicknames was an extremely sophisticated intelligence-gathering operation that posed a threat to national security and individuals, including journalists."