A supermarket worker who attempted to smuggle more than £1.2 million in cash out of the UK to Lebanon has been jailed for 21 months following an investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA).
Mazen Al Shaar, 48, was stopped by Border Force officers at Heathrow Airport’s Terminal Three on Saturday, March 15, as he prepared to board a flight to Beirut.
Al Shaar, of Marsworth Close, Middlesex, initially told officers he had just £500 in cash and claimed he was leaving the country to visit family. However, officers searched his three suitcases and discovered £1,232,880 concealed in two of them.
He pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering and was sentenced today (Friday) at Isleworth Crown Court.
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.”
A confiscation timetable has been set to determine the forfeiture of the seized cash.
