£15 Million Laundering Duo Sent Down for Over 12 Years
Two men caught laundering a whopping £15 million through an alcohol brokerage scheme have been slammed with hefty jail sentences at Southwark Crown Court.
Broker and Couriers Ran Massive Cash Operation
Jonathan Porter, 57, from Loughton, Essex, ran Europlus Trading Ltd, an alcohol broker claiming to supply wholesalers in Calais. His partner in crime, Peter Stanley, 64, from Westminster, managed cash couriers ferrying large sums back to their Greenwich base in London.
But the court uncovered a different story. Between April 2014 and June 2015, the pair raked in £15 million in cash deposits from London cash and carry wholesalers selling non-duty paid alcohol. Porter handled the laundering, while Stanley personally delivered £7.5 million of the filthy cash.
HMRC Cracks Down on Crime-Funding Laundering
Terry Braithwaite, Assistant Director at HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service, slammed the criminals:
“Money laundering is not a victimless crime. Laundered cash funds other serious crimes that bring harm and misery to communities. HMRC will investigate anyone suspected of being involved in money laundering and after conviction we’ll pursue the money they owe.”
He urged the public to report suspicious activity via GOV.UK to help stamp out fraud.
Arrests Reveal Stashes of Cash and Seized Booze
Stanley was nabbed with £41,500 outside Europlus, where a warehouse safe held another £45,000. Porter was caught the same day with £3,380 at home, while Stanley’s house hid over £18,000 in cash.
Alcohol without UK duty paid was seized from wholesalers linked to the cash couriers and destroyed.
Sentenced and Banned from Business
On 10 January 2022, the pair were found guilty. Sentencing on 11 February handed Porter seven years behind bars plus a 10-year ban on being a company director. Stanley got five years and nine months.
HMRC is now working to confiscate their criminal gains and push for Serious Crime Prevention Orders to stop future offences.
