Four Latvian men who formed a “highly sophisticated” transnational serious organised crime syndicate which specialised in money laundering and fraud have each been jailed for four years and 11 months. 

Hardijs Langsteins 37, from Salford, Maris Kursis, 30, from Falkirk, Arvids Civkors, 30, from Edinburgh and Aivars Dzagarjans, 38, from Forth, Northumberland, were convicted last month at Edinburgh Sheriff Court of carrying out illegal activity between June 20, 2012, and December 2, 2016.
The Crown case was that the men encouraged people from Latvia to come to the United Kingdom, offering to provide their travel, accommodation and employment. 

Once the people arrived in the UK, they were told they were “in debt” to the gang. 

The victims were forced to open bank accounts in their own names, hand over their bank accounts and bank cards and were sent to work in various locations throughout the UK. The gang retained control over their earnings. 

Refusal to co-operate met with threats of violence and assaults.

The men’s defence agents had asked that, as reports would have to be prepared, their clients, who had been on bail for the duration of the trial, should be allowed to continue to be bailed.

But Sheriff Thomas Welsh QC told the men that each of them had been convicted of very serious offences involving organised crime and he was not persuaded to grant bail. 

All four were remanded in custody for reports to be prepared. 

Yesterday, the case called once again in court. 

Langsteins’s advocate Michael Anderson told the court that his client accepted that Sheriff Welsh was going to impose imprisonment on his client. Mr Anderson also said that Langsteins hadn’t greatly benefited from his life of crime.

He added: “He realises that he will be sentenced to a period of imprisonment. 
“He is not someone of great wealth.”

Civkors’s solicitor Philip Cohen said his client’s involvement in the scam was minimal and that Sheriff Welsh didn’t have to send him to prison.

He added: “The court can consider a direct alternative to custody.”

Sheriff Welsh gave the men jail terms of four years and 11 months each. 
Passing sentence, he said: “The offences were highly sophisticated and were executed with meticulous precision. Given the impact that it had on the individuals named on the indictment and the banking system in general, I conclude that there is no alternative custody in the case.

“You will each receive sentences of four years and 11 months.”

The four men now face actions under the proceeds of crime act. 

The case against them under this piece of legislation will call on January 15. 
Procurator fiscal for specialist casework, Jennifer Harrower, said: “Money laundering is not a victimless crime and Hardijs Langsteins and his gang played an integral role in a complex, large-scale operation which facilitated the criminal activity of others.

“I hope that these convictions and the sentence, including the Serious Crime Prevention Orders granted for Langsteins and Kursis, send a strong message to others involved in this kind of criminal behaviour.

“And it and demonstrates the ability of police and prosecutors to investigate, prepare and prosecute serious and organised crime of this nature.

“The Crown will continue working with the police  to ensure that these crimes are detected and those responsible prosecuted.”