A CRYPTOCURRENCY gang are behind bars having been found guilty of a a large-scale dirty money operation.
The six-strong group were effectively involved in laundering cash for a now convicted drug trafficker.
Some of the illicit funds seized by police included a large haul of banknotes stuffed into a padlock bag and Snickers box hidden in the ceiling space of a shop linked to two of the mob.
Aftab Allah, 36, his brother Shehbaz Allah, 40, Hamzah Habib, 38, Kamran Javid, 33, Asim Afzal, 34, and Imad Younis, 37, were today convicted of a charge under the Proceeds of Crime Act following a lengthy trial at the High Court in Glasgow.
They had all been on bail, but were remanded in custody by judge Lady Poole.
They could each face a maximum 14 year jail-term when they are sentenced next month.
Prosecutors stated the group acted together and with others in a scheme which they suspected or knew concerned “criminal property”.
The charge added they did “receive, deposit, transfer, exchange and organise” the transmission of cryptocurrency and cash by putting it into bank accounts and digital cash wallets on behalf of others.
The indictment originally featured a figure of “over £6million”, but this was later amended to “a sum of money”.
A named criminal – a Scots drugs boss jailed for trafficking millions of pounds of cocaine – was a central figure in the case.
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In his evidence, Shehbaz Allah told jurors the drug trafficker was a “family friend” who he believed was involved in the building trade and also had an interest in cars.
He said him and the other man “once or twice” tried to go into business together.
This apparently included renting out an expensive Audi RS6 and also plans to buy a caravan at a holiday park.
Allah insisted he did not know the man was involved in high-level criminality.
Jurors were shown footage of officers searching the Day to Day shop in Rutherglen, Lanarkshire, where Allah and other relatives worked
This included tens of thousands of pounds hidden in a Nike bag in the ceiling space.
Allah told the trial some of the cash belonged to him from legal cryptocurrency trading.
The majority apparently belonged to the drug dealer.
Allah said he had been asked to keep it as the criminal seemingly had “problems with his business banking” as his account had been frozen.
Allah: “He did not want to leave it in his mum’s house in a scheme in case it went missing or was stolen.”
Asked by his KC Mark Moir why it was then stored in the roof space of the shop, he replied that he had put it there, but that other staff were unaware.
The court was also told of a photo of £300,000 in cash being snapped by one of the gang.
Allah again claimed the money was his from buying and selling Bitcoin.
He stated to the court that some of the funds went on getting an extension built on his house.
Prosecutor Erin Campbell later put to Allah that he had been “instrumental” in helping open up different accounts to shift and hide the dirty cash.
She also said he had a “network of people” he could deal in cryptocurrency with.
Miss Campbell suggsted this could be an advantage to a drug dealer with “a lot of money” who wanted to keep “as much as distance as possible” from where it came from.
Allah denied this.
The advocate depute also said putting expensice cars in Allah’s name could make it more difficult for the authorities to seize it if the trafficker was caught.
Miss Campbell put to him: “You knew him well enough to embark on a business adventure, but you had no idea that he was dealing in drugs?”
Allah: “No, never.”
The prosecutor further stated: “You and your brother were administrators for his money.
“You were responsible for hiding assets for quite some time. You were effectively his PA (personal assistant).”
Allah: “No.”
The court heard this also included arranging and paying for flights and hotels for the trafficker.
The Allahs, both of Lesmahagow, Habib, of Cambuslang, all Lanarkshire, Javid, of the city’s Govanhill, Afzal, of Thornliebank, East Renfrewshire, and Younis, also of Govanhill, are due to be sentenced next month in Edinburgh.
Lady Poole told them: “Money laundering is a serious offence. It enables those responsible for crime to conceal and transfer criminal proceeds.
“This, in turn, allows criminal enterprises to remain operational, reinvest profits and expand their activities.
“Organsied crime often generates wider criminality blighting lives and communities.
“I refuse the applications for you to remain on bail and it is revoked.”
The gang face a separate confiscation hearing likely next year under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Prosecutors have also moved for the first three to be hit with Serious Crime Prevention Orders.
