A nervous man waiting for a train had £38,045 in his rucksack. He was arrested and jailed for money laundering.
Han Van Vu, age 21, was approached by police. They used a phone to translate Vietnamese. Vu said he was seeing a friend. He claimed the rucksack wasn’t his. Vu became very nervous during the conversation.
Police searched his rucksack because of this. Inside, they found a gift bag. The bag held two stacks of money. More cash rested underneath the gift bag inside. The total amount of money was £38,045. This happened on May 15 last year.
Vu had no permanent address. He was arrested for possessing criminal property. A court found him guilty of money laundering. It was after a three-day trial. He was jailed for 12 months on Tuesday.
An officer, PC Andy Margerison, made a statement. He said people think money laundering is harmless. The money often comes from drug dealing. It also comes from exploitation. They want to stop criminals using trains. They want to move drugs and money across the country.
He encourages people to report any concerns. Use the text number 61016 or call 0800 40 50 40. They take these reports seriously. They work hard to bring offenders to court. Vu is one such offender.