Gang blew £11.5k in stolen cash on gambling machine to get rid of anti-theft dye stains

The six-strong group, which included Daniel Porter, aged 27, of Nightingale Crescent, New Invention, Luke Cox, 23, of Phillips Avenue, Wolverhampton, Luke Fry, 23, of Adey Road, Ashmore Park, Ryan Harris, 20, of Hough Way, Essington, Craig Tonks, 34, of Shaw Road, Coseley and Adam Walker, 27, of Woden Road, Heath Town, all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder the proceeds of crime over a four-day period in December 2012.

Fry admitted conspiring to supply cocaine and cannabis, while Porter also pleaded guilty to the same offences. Cox and Harris admitted conspiracy to supply cannabis.

Jonathan Dunne, prosecuting, told Wolverhampton Crown Court the men had taken possession of bank notes they knew had been stolen because they were covered in ink, with a dye used by Royal Mail to protect cash stored in its security boxes.

He said the money was spent on machines at four locations in the Staffordshire and Shropshire area, adding Cox and Fry were detained by police at a Welcome Break services in Keele. Officers had initially searched the Seat Altea car they were travelling in with Harris and Walker because they could smell cannabis.

Inside they found a bag containing £5 and £10 notes, while the fingerprints of Cox were on one of the notes.

Another Welcome Break service station had been used as £900 in ink stained notes was spent on four machines, while Walker was seen on CCTV footage.

A Coral betting shop in Chipnall, Market Drayton, was also targeted by the gang, who deposited £80 in gaming machines, while CCTV footage showed Tonks playing on one. Walker had used another where his fingerprints were found on notes.

The fourth location was a Moto services on the M6 in Staffordshire, where ink stained notes were found in a number of machines.

Mr Dunne said police visited Fry's home in April 2013 and found drug paraphernalia, along with mobile phones, a stun gun, clingfilm and a press.

The court heard Fry had previous convictions for theft and possession of cannabis and had been in custody since his arrest in August 2013, while Cox had previous for possession of cannabis and Porter for four minor offences. Harris had been convicted of criminal damage and battery. Tonks also had previous convictions and Walker a custodial record.

Judge Martin Walsh said: "The notes were stolen from a secure source because they were heavily stained with an ink dye. We are not sentencing for the theft of the notes, but they came into your possession and it must have become apparent that they had come from a secure source."

He sentenced Fry to five years in prison, Walker nine months in prison and Porter to two years in jail. Cox received a 15 month prison term, while Harris received a 12 month suspended sentence in a young offenders institute and was ordered to complete 180 hours unpaid work. Tonks was given a 10 month suspended jail term and ordered to complete 180 hours unpaid work.