€560k Cash Bust at Channel Tunnel as Man Fails to Prove Innocent Origins
Border Force Nabs Suspect with Suitcase Full of €20s and €50s
Border Force officers at the Channel Tunnel made a major seizure on 25 February 2019, uncovering a suitcase packed with €559,705 in cash. The suitcase belonged to 45-year-old Harm Stachouwer, who was about to board a Eurotunnel train when stopped by officers.
Questionable Story Doesn’t Add Up
When grilled, Stachouwer said he’d been on a business trip to Dublin and planned to visit his parents in The Netherlands before heading home to Andorra. He claimed to work in the medical sector as chairman of a company selling cancer radiation equipment. Asked about the cash, he initially downplayed it, guessing he had around €5,000. But he eventually directed officers to the suitcase in his car boot.
Dirty Money Hidden in Firelighter Bags
The suitcase contained two large heat-sealed bags labelled “Swedish Twisted Fire Lighters” — a cunning ploy, officers say, to dodge cash-sniffing dogs. Inside were cardboard boxes filled with unbundled €20 and €50 notes.
Stachouwer insisted the money was his savings and claimed he could prove its origins. But he failed to provide any credible evidence.
Proceeds of Crime Agency Take Action
The National Crime Agency (NCA) launched civil forfeiture proceedings. maidstone/" title="Maidstone" data-wpil-keyword-link="linked">Maidstone Magistrates’ Court ruled today (14 October) to seize the cash, which Stachouwer did not contest.
NCA Branch Commander Mark Howes said: “Stachouwer could not provide a credible explanation as to how he had obtained such a large amount of cash. It was packed into heat sealed bags, we believe in a bid to avoid detection by cash dogs. The use of civil powers allows us to target suspected criminal cash, and crucially deprives organised crime groups of their profits.
This money can no longer be used to reinvest in more offending. Money is at the heart of organised crime which is why the NCA prioritises disrupting money laundering operations both in the UK and overseas.”
