Money launderer avoids jail after being caught with more than £100k stuffed into a bag
A man has avoided jail after he was caught with more than £100,000 stuffed into a holdall bag and nearly £14,000 in his loft.
Mukhtar Hussain, of Gibson Road, Smethwick, along with Abdul Hassan, of Burnage Lane, Manchester, were stopped by HM Revenue Customs investigators and found to be carrying £198,890 in bags.
Hussain, 51, was seen by investigators receiving a holdall type bag. He was then stopped a short while later driving his Porsche Cayenne in the Fallowfield area of Manchester in October 2015.
He had a large holdall containing £100,040 in cash on the back seat of his car and was arrested.
Days later, Hassan, 29, was also seen receiving a holdall bag in the Burnage Lane area of Manchester. A short while later, officers from HMRC entered his flat and recovered the bag – which was found to contain £98,850. He was then arrested.
Hussain claimed the money was related to his business as a rag trader, while Hassan refused to provide any explanation for the cash other than his cousin in Pakistan had asked him to collect some cash.
Investigators search Hussain's house and found a further £13,980 in cash concealed in his loft.
Tony Capon, assistant director of the Fraud Investigation Service at HMRC, said: "These men each had around four times the average UK wage in cash in a bag – neither could properly explain where all this cash came from.
“Money laundering supports organised crime by helping serious criminals to try and hide their illegal cash.
"We will use all available resources to stop criminals from profiting from their illegal actions."
Hussain and Hassan both pleaded guilty to money laundering and received 21-month sentences, suspended for two years.
They were also ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid community work.
