Fruit pickers in £1m scam

Ukrainian fruit pickers based in Telford fronted a worldwide internet scam which netted about £1 million for its eastern bloc criminal masterminds, it was revealed today.

At least six people, who had been based in Telford, were involved in fraud and money laundering using a series of false identities and bank accounts, a court heard.

The details were revealed at Winchester Crown Court during a case described as "the tip of the iceberg" and part of a wider scam believed to be masterminded by the Russian mafia and other eastern European organised crime gangs.

The fruit pickers, who made little personal profit, acted as ID "mules" to steal people's identities and plunder their bank accounts.

Ringleader Voldmyr Pletnov, 24, had originally appeared at crown court as Vladislavs Kromans, but confirmed his true identity yesterday when he admitted money laundering offences.

Pletnov, who had been living in Telford, remains in custody and will be sentenced following the trial of three alleged accomplices.

Last week Mariola Dalecka, 26, of Bognor Regis, was jailed for nine months for money laundering offences.

At Shrewsbury Crown Court in May, Yevhen Borshchov, 25, Oleksandr Dzys, 25, and Serhiy Hevel, 28, were jailed for eight months after admitting possession of false ID documents and passports to secure jobs and bank accounts.

And last month Ukrainian, Rostislav Geretskiy, 23, was jailed for six months for having a passport bearing false "leave for indefinite stay" details, money laundering and smuggling £10,000 of cigarettes.

They were arrested when police raided at a house in Westmorland Mews, Leegomery, Telford.

All had arrived in the UK between May and November 2005 as part of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme as fruit pickers.

Pletnov had been living at Burford, Brookside, using the name Podgornijs and had at least two other identities. He had worked with Dzys at strawberry producers S&A Produce at Marden, in Herefordshire. The others had worked at other farms, including Blakeley Farm at Stanton upon Hine Heath, near Wem.

By Arthur Mills