Money launderers ordered to hand over millions

Two members of a Midlands gang that used casinos to launder money for other criminals have been ordered to hand over more than £3.5 million in assets and cash.

Sukhjinder Singh Shergill and Suckjit Singh Birring were jailed in 2008 for their part in a money laundering scam, which also involved a £1.8m VAT fraud.

Major sums from organised criminal gangs were laundered by the men, including profits from drug trafficking, multi-million pound VAT conspiracies in the mobile phone industry, counterfeiting and credit card fraud.

They laundered cash received in the UK by using the gambling industry.

Money was put on deposit at casinos and withdrawn a day or so later, while other sums would be gambled. The gang then transferred large amounts of untraceable money to a Dubai bank account, to be accessed by associates.

Shergill, aged 35, of Snapdragon Drive, Walsall, and Birring, 35, of Weeford Drive, Sutton Coldfield, were convicted with accomplices Harvinder Singh Batth, 34, of Roman Lane, Little Aston, and Jatinder Singh Salh, 37, of Harvestfield Way, Sutton Coldfield.

In raids across the West Midlands by HMRC officers a total of £650,000 was seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 from the defendants and also from safety deposit boxes, a casino, a residential address and a number of vehicles.

The men appeared at Birmingham Crown Court yesterday for a proceeds of crime hearing after HMRC applied to the court to confiscate monies made through the criminal activity.

Judge Philip Gregory ordered Shergill, who was jailed for seven-and-a-half years for conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to launder money in 2008, to pay back £841,974.44 which he had made from the scam.

He was also ordered to give up £55,292 worth of assets including a car, jewellery and his bank balance. He was warned he has six months to pay up or face another 18 months in prison.

Birring, who was jailed for two-and-a-half years for conspiracy to launder money, was ordered to hand over £2.5m and £200,000 in assets within six months, or face 30 months in prison.

Batth's case was being heard today and Salh's case will be heard on Thursday.