A money launderer has been jailed after he was caught trying to smuggle over a million quid in suitcases via Heathrow Airport. Mazen Al Shaar, 48, was stopped on Saturday, March 15, as he was about to fly from Terminal 3 to Beirut in Lebanon.
The supermarket worker claimed to only have £500 in cash on him and that he was leaving the UK to visit family, but a bag search unearthed £1,232,880 in cash.
He was put behind bars for 21 months following a trial at Isleworth Crown Court earlier today (Friday, June 6). Peter Jones, NCA operations manager, said: “Money launderers are at the absolute centre of serious and organised crime because they enable other offenders to make money from their offences.
“Criminals who deal drugs, firearms, smuggle migrants and commit other organised crime offences do so because of their greed. And it’s offenders like Al Shaar who work hand in glove with them to make it all worthwhile.
“By seizing this money and bringing him to justice, we have broken one crucial link in the chain and we’ve deprived an organised crime group of the profit they expected to receive. That money cannot now be ploughed back into further offending.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “This seizure highlights Border Force’s dedicated efforts to protect our borders and keep the public safe. Our officers are trained to spot suspicious behaviour and identify attempts to move illicit cash and other prohibited items across our borders.
“We continue to work closely with law enforcement partners, including the NCA to disrupt criminal networks.”
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