An Albanian-origin couple have been convicted of money laundering after they tried to smuggle more than £200,000 (€248,500) out of the UK during the height of the pandemic.
They were the subject of an investigation by the British National Crime Agency (NCA), which stopped their car at the Channel Tunnel terminal in Folkestone, Kent, in May 2020.
The couple were traveling with their three children in a Mercedes and claimed they were going to visit relatives in Brescia, Italy.
They initially stated that they had £5,000 (€5,600) In the car with them, with which they told officers they needed to pay for dental treatment while in Italy.
However, border police carried out a full search of the car and discovered an additional £14,000 (€15,900) hidden in a bag and more than £200,000 (€227,000) in a suitcase in the boot of the vehicle.
NCA investigators then carried out a search of their home in Tring, where they found a series of documents showing records of large sums deposited into bank accounts used by the couple.
Further investigations found that the couple had deposited more than £110,000 (€125,250) into their accounts in the previous year – more than five times higher than their declared income for the same period.
There were also many unexplained transfers from international banks.
The woman had bought the Mercedes in cash for £11,000 just two months before they stopped at the channel Tunnel.
The couple was charged with money laundering offences, which they both initially denied.
The woman was sentenced to 18 months suspended and 200 hours of unpaid work, while the man received a 12-month community order and 50 hours of unpaid work.
