Dec 2004

• 09/12/04 Issue 12 - 09/12/04
  In December 1997, a Dutch national was stopped by HM Customs and Excise officers at Stansted Airport while attempting to board a flight to Amsterdam and was found to be carrying 559,000 Dutch guilders (UK value £168,000). The cash was detained under Drugs Trafficking Act legislation and enquiries revealed that the money had been exchanged for a quantity of Italian Lira at a West End Money Service Bureau in London. ......

Nov 2004

• 11/11/04 Issue 11 - 11/11/04
  On 26 October 2004 the Anti Money Laundering Strategy was published by the Money Laundering Advisory Committee (MLAC) setting out the Government’s fight against money laundering. This document reviews the current UK anti-money laundering regime and presents the government’s strategy as the basis for future action, affirming the Government’s commitment to a flexible and risk-based approach both internationally and domestically. ......

Oct 2004

• 07/10/04 Issue 10 - 07/10/04
  On 15 July 2004 at Isleworth Crown Court a Turkish national pleaded guilty to an offence of assisting another to launder the proceeds of drug trafficking. He was sentenced to three years and four months imprisonment and the cash was confiscated. ......

Sep 2004

• 09/09/04 Issue 9 - 09/09/04
  A Joint HM Customs and Excise and National Crime Squad operation resulted in the prosecution of two Cheshire men for money laundering after they were found with £400,000 concealed in a specially adapted minibus. ......

Jul 2004

• 29/07/04 Issue 8 - 29/07/04
  NCIS reports that: The number of SARS is growing, with a 64% increase compared to the same month last year – in April this year just over 11,100 SARS were received. Of these, approximately 50 % have been received electronically, which is the quickest way to enable NCIS to make sure that the reports are being used in a timely way. ......
• 02/07/04 Issue 7 - 02/07/04
  NCIS reports that: There has been a welcome increase in the level of reporting from the regulated sector. Reporting from solicitors, in particular, has increased, and is proving very useful. ......

May 2004

• 06/05/04 Issue 5 - 06/05/04
  To help reduce the reporting burden on the regulated sectors following the broadening of the regulations at the beginning of March 2004, the National Criminal Intelligence Service has published new SAR Forms. ......

Feb 2004

• 12/02/04 Issue 2 - 12/02/04
  The FSA published their Financial Risk Outlook for 2004 last month. On money laundering, it stated: ‘The scale of money laundering in the UK was emphasised in the UK Threat Assessment for 2003 published by the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS). It cites Customs and Excise figures which estimate the annual proceeds from crime in the UK at anywhere between £19 billion and £48 billion, with £25 billion being a ‘realistic’ figure for the amount actually laundered. ......