Gang sentenced for money laundering

Two men from Rochdale have been jailed for a £300,000 money laundering scam after an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Nouman Tariq, DOB 04/03/77, of Ashley Close, Rochdale, a company director, was sentenced to two years and three months in jail.

Tariq operated as a 'salesman' arranging the deposits and transfers of money between MSBs and accounts. He was directly linked to the separate attempted laundering of £98,000, and £30,000 in cash.

Shafaqat Ali, DOB 10/03/69, of Emma Street, Rochdale, a factory worker, was sentenced to two years and one month jail.

Ali was a 'runner' for Tariq, collecting and delivering funds being laundered out of the UK. Ali was linked directly to the transport of £98,000 in cash.

Tariq and Ali, who were part of a four man gang from Rochdale, Bradford and Southport, were sentenced on 28 November at Manchester Crown Court.

The gang was caught handling large amounts of cash and transferring illegal money between bank accounts. They did this using a number of Money Service Businesses (MSB) and agents operating in the UK and abroad. They used false records to hide the money transfers, making it look as if they came from legitimate personal and business transactions.

Sandra Smith, Assistant Director, Criminal Investigation, HMRC, said: “These gang members personally profited from this conspiracy to disguise illegal money and have pleaded guilty to handling large amounts of criminal cash within the UK. Confiscation proceedings are in motion to strip them of the benefits of their crimes.

"Such attempts to launder the proceeds of crime are treated extremely seriously by HMRC, and we will relentlessly pursue any people or gangs believed to be actively involved in money laundering and evading UK taxes.

“I would urge anyone who has information about those involved in this type of activity to call the Customs Hotline on 0800 59 5000.”