Four year jail term for 60-year-old caught smuggling cash (From Your Local Guardian)

Four year jail term for 60-year-old caught smuggling cash

3:24pm Friday 8th May 2009 in Local news By Paul Teed

An unemployed man who was caught by an airport sniffer dog as he tried to smuggle £1.2m out of the country has been jailed for four years.

Yahya Forozan, 60, was carrying the laundered money in four suitcases at Heathrow’s terminal three on January 15 last year when the detector dog became suspicious.

Customs officers opened the cases, which all had baggage tags with Forozan’s name, and discovered the bundles of banknotes.

It led to Forozan, of Witham Road, Isleworth, being sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court yesterday, after he was found guilty by a jury of an offence under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Bob Gaiger, spokesman for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), said: “This was an excellent spot by one of our dogs. HMRC is committed to using the full powers of the Proceeds of Crime Act in order to take the profits out of crime.

“The majority of crime is motivated by financial gain: by rigorously tackling financial crime and seizing criminal assets we are contributing to a safer society and preventing criminals from living lavish lifestyles built on illicit activities.”