Gang jailed over £5m cash haul
SEIZURE OF CRIMIMAL PROCEEDS THOUGHT TO BE ONE OF BIGGEST BY MET POLICE -
A GANG of men have been sentenced to nearly 10 years in jail after £5 million in criminal cash was seized from an apartment in Fulham.
The three men were sentenced at Harrow Crown Court on Friday, May 28, after pleading guilty last year to conspiracy to conceal/disguise/convert/transfer/remove criminal property.
The Metropolitan Police’s long-running operation to tackle organised crime in the capital is targeting gun crime and large-scale Class A drug supply.
This bust has put a large-scale money launderer behind bars, which the Met says will have a “major impact” on organised crime.
Last year, prolific money launderer Sergejs Auzins, 46, of Windward Road in Rochester, was identified during the operation, and officers established that he was taking large quantities of cash to an address in Fulham.
On Friday June 5, 2020, 36-year-old Ruslan Shamsutdinov, of Selcroft House, Glenister Road, Hackney, was seen leaving the apartment in Porteus Apartments, Fulham, noticeably struggling to carry heavy bags.
He put them into a nearby parked car, but officers stopped him and found the bags contained a “considerable amount” of cash.
A search of the West London apartment uncovered further cash and a well-organised money laundering system. In total, £5,082,026.17 in cash was seized at the address, and a further 39,000 Euros and £8,038.81 was found at Shamsutdinov’s home.
A month later on Sunday, July 14 2020, the third man – 35-year-old Serwan Ahmadi – was seen handing a bag to another man, who was arrested at the scene. The case against the other man was later dropped, but later that same day Ahmadi was seen leaving his home in Pycroft Way, Edmonton, with another bag, which was found to contain £59,980.
He was stopped and arrested by police in Victoria Road, Edmonton, and a search of his address recovered a further £198,665.
The next day, Monday, July 15, Sergejs Auzins was arrested at his home in Rochester and another £14,435.63 was recovered.
In total, £5,363,145.61 and 39,000 euros was seized from the three men.
At Harrow Crown Court on Friday, May 28, the gang was sentenced.
Sergejs Auzins was sentenced to three years and four months’ imprisonment; Ruslan Shamsutdinov was sentenced to three years and nine months’ imprisonment; and Serwan Ahmadi was sentenced to one year and eight months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years.
Ahmadi was also ordered to undertake 150 hours of unpaid work.
Detective Superintendent Jason Prins, from the Specialist Crime Command, said: “As part of a long running operation against gun crime and large scale Class A drugs supply across London, over five million pounds in criminal cash was seized from an address in Fulham.
“This is the largest ever single cash seizure by the Met and I believe one of the largest ever nationally.
He added: “Organised crime is motivated by money and is one of the biggest causes of violence on our streets. Tackling this violence is our main priority.
“This seizure, and the conviction of these men for laundering that money, will have a major impact on the ability of a number of crime groups to carry on with their activities.”