A West Yorkshire man, who was caught with £64,000 of unexplained cash in a bag, has been sentenced.
Afzhan Nasar Hussain, 42, of Old Station Court, Heckmondwike, was seen collecting a bag filled with cash from an off-licence in Halifax on 5 September 2017. He was stopped by HMRC officers at a petrol station on Godley Lane.
Hussain was arrested at the scene and the cash was seized. When questioned by investigators, he refused to comment or explain where any of the money had come from.
He later claimed he was collecting the bag of cash as a favour for an associate and that he was told that it amounted to £5,000.
He admitted possession of criminal property at Bradford Crown Court on 11 December 2018 and was sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for two years, on Tuesday 8 January.
An HMRC spokesperson said: “Hussain was carrying thousands of pounds of unexplained cash. He thought his criminal activity would go unnoticed, but he was wrong and now he is paying the price.
“People involved in money laundering help to fund the illegal activities of organised crime gangs. Anyone with information about this type of crime should report it to HMRC online, or call our Fraud Hotline on 0800 788 887.”