Three men caught in a massive cash laundering scheme worth £17 million have been sentenced after a lengthy probe by West Midlands Police. The operation involved sneaky deposits at Post Offices across Birmingham, moving dirty money through business accounts to cover their tracks.
Daily Deposits of £200k Exposed
Shazad Jahan, 45, Naveed Gul, 47, and Sajid Nawaz, 59, were slammed with prison terms following their guilty pleas at Birmingham Crown Court on January 23. The trio made up to £200,000 in cash deposits each day between 2021 and 2022. The proceeds were then shuffled through a web of company accounts to hide the criminal origins.
The gang was clever, avoiding suspicion by hitting different bank branches over 10 times daily. In June 2021, Nawaz was arrested caught with £15,000 in a carrier bag at a Birmingham Post Office, with another £85,000 stashed in his vehicle. His phone showed a WhatsApp group named “Action” coordinating where and how much cash to drop.
Mastermind and Co-Conspirators Brought to Justice
Police investigations revealed Jahan as the ringleader. He set up the WhatsApp group, assigned deposit jobs, and moved cash between company accounts—some set up solely to launder the money. He was arrested at Birmingham Airport returning from Dubai with incriminating evidence on his phone.
Gul, a company director, managed a key bank account through which over £2.5 million flowed. Despite his denials, the evidence sealed his fate.
Massive Bust, Money Seized, and Warnings Issued
- £867,000 frozen through account seizure orders
- £100,000 cash seized at arrests plus £9,000 from linked properties
- Cryptocurrency exchange and banking platform linked to the group shut down after FCA involvement
Jahan was jailed for five years and five months. Gul got four years and three months. Nawaz received a two-year suspended sentence.
One suspect failed to show up in court with a warrant now out for his arrest.
“This case shows police don’t give up. Anyone trying to exploit the financial system will be caught,” said Senior Investigating Officer Jonathan Jones.
West Midlands Police urge anyone with info on financial crimes to contact them on 101 or via their website’s live chat.
