Young people targeted in Yorkshire
Criminals have been targeting young people in Yorkshire for use as money mules with the promise of easy money.
The defendants, some only teenagers at the time of the offences, were used to launder funds by having fraudulent cheques and sums of money deposited into their accounts and withdrawn.
Their lawyers told the court that they started out participating in what they thought was a legal transaction but then realised it was not. Many had been facing difficult financial circumstances and expressed remorse. Five of the defendants pleaded guilty, and were each fined £200.
Investigations are continuing into others involved in organising the scam.
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Accountant sentenced for money laundering
An accountant was sentenced to five and a half years imprisonment, after assisting a client who had stolen nearly £400,000 from Lloyds TSB, and who was planning a theft of £24m from HSBC.
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Four jailed for laundering through a casino
Four men from the Midlands have been sentenced to jail terms ranging from two and a half years to nine years for laundering the proceeds of drug deals, VAT frauds and credit card frauds through gambling activities at casinos.
Confiscation orders totalling almost £890,000 have been made in connection with the case.
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Multiple raids and cash seizures for money laundering
August: Five people were arrested in Northumberland, Tyneside and Wearside after police discovered a coach firm was being operated without a licence. Cash, counterfeit clothing and a taser were found. All were arrested on suspicion of money laundering. Read more
A further seven people were arrested that month as part of an investigation into alleged VAT fraud and money laundering through the caravan and motor home industry. Those arrested were from Staffordshire, Manchester, Shropshire, Stockpot and Kent. Read more
September: Six people were arrested in Bognor Regis and Portsmouth with respect to a suspected money laundering ring. Read more
October: Police in Rochdale arrest eleven people in relation to money laundering investigations and seized a number of vehicles. Read more
Also that month Cheshire police arrested a couple on suspicion of money laundering, and it is believed that a small quantity of drugs and cash were also seized. Read more
Finally, between 30 September and 9 October three separate vehicles were intercepted at the Channel Tunnel and Dover’s Eastern Docks, with a total of £182,000 in cash being seized. Seven men were arrested on suspicion of money laundering. Read more
And further abroad – the Mafia clean up with energy investments
Police in Sicily have confiscated 1.5bn euros from a Sicilian business man, who investigators say has links with the current supremo of the Sicilian Mafia. The assets included no fewer than 43 wind and solar energy companies and around 100 properties. Italian officials report significant concern about the infiltration of the renewable energy sector by organised crime.
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