Man with £860k in his bags at airport is jailed

A man who admitted money laundering offences after he was caught with more than £860,000 at an airport has been jailed for a year.

Lukas Pokorny, 42, was arrested by Border Force officers at Glasgow Airport as he was about to board a flight bound for Dubai on November 8 2020.

When officials searched three suitcases in his possession they found a large quantity of cash in each, totalling more than £860,000.

Pokorny, from the Czech Republic, was unable to provide keys to unlock the luggage, or say who they belonged to or what they contained.

The High Court in Glasgow heard he was to fly to the United Arab Emirates and transfer the money to someone else.

Officers from the Organised Crime Partnership (Scotland) charged him and he pled guilty to a charge under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Defence counsel Brian Mcconnachie QC told the court Pokorny had never been involved in criminal activity anywhere before and he was “ashamed” by his involvement.

He added Pokorny was due to get £5,000 for his part in the money laundering.

His involvement was said to follow lockdown measures in the Czech Republic which stopped his business from operating.

It was heard he had already used up savings during the first wave of the pandemic.

Pokorny hopes to return to the Czech Republic upon his release from prison and get back to work.

The father of two was visibly distressed when judge Lady Stacey sentenced him to a year in prison, backdating it to November.

It was discounted by a third due to his early guilty plea.