Three jailed after almost £3 million in cash found at Wolverhampton house
Three men have been jailed after police seized millions of pounds in cash from a Wolverhampton home being used to launder money from drug deals.
Almost £3m was recovered from the safe house in Fallings Park in one of the largest ever seizures by West Midlands Police.
The men and their illicit activities were uncovered by police when an encrypted mobile phone network they were using, Encrochat, was shut down as part of a national operation led by the National Crime Agency (NCA).
Investigators in the region then presented a case against the men to the courts earlier this year, which saw them each plead guilty to charges under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Further examination into the phone conversations on the encrypted network found that Darren Percival, who identified as 'Mistaken Mallet', was using the house in Fallings Park as a base to launder money for criminal gangs.
The chats further revealed that the 47-year-old was working with two other men, namely Alan Britton, who used the handle 'Random Foot', and Lee Kennedy, who went by 'Betting Toxic'.
When officers paid a visit to the safe house in May 2020, Percival was found on site along with "huge amounts of cash" which was scattered around the property.
West Midlands Police said officers found "packs" of Scottish, Irish, and Sterling currency in the front bedroom, along with a cash-counting machine.
Boxes of cash were also reportedly found in a back bedroom, the kitchen and even in a cupboard under the stairs.
In total, police recovered £2,900,000 in the home which was forfeited under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
The three criminals were jailed for a combined total of 11 years and four months following an appearance before Wolverhampton Crown Court on November 8.
Percival, 47, of Deans Road, Wolverhampton, was handed a four-year sentence.
Meanwhile, Britton, 50, of no fixed address was jailed for four years and nine months.
Kennedy, 35, of Coleshaw Road, Manchester, was sentenced to two years and seven months in prison.
DCI Pete Cooke from the Regional Organised Crime Unit at West Midlands Police, said: "This safe house was laundering large sums of money for criminal groups but has now been put out of operation.
"The seizure is one the force’s biggest but is just part of our continuing work to bring down drugs operations run by organised crime groups which all too often cause misery for the individuals involved and blight the communities they infiltrate."
