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Bag in bath contained £200,000 court told
Jurors heard how members of an alleged money laundering ring were found with almost £200,000 stashed in a bath.
The trial of Preston antiques dealer Brian Beck at Manchester Crown Court heard that customs officers raided an address in Cheadle after watching one of his alleged co-conspirators make a journey to Newcastle to collect a mysterious sports bag.
Beck, 59, of Watering Pool Lane, Lostock Hall, near Preston, is said to be the leading figure in the ring.
He is facing four charges of laundering profits from an illegal cigarette smuggling operation.
Charged alongside him, with two money laundering offences, are Salford man Simcha Shadmi and Damien O'Connor, from Lancaster, both long-time friends of Beck who owns European Fine Arts and Antiques in Cannon Street, Preston.
They are said to be his trusted lieutenants in the operation.
Also charged with two counts of money laundering is Vimal Kapoor, from London.
Prosecuter Ray Wigglesworth completed his opening address to the jury by telling how customs officers trailed named co-conspirator Mendel Rand, who is a prominent member of a Manchester orthodox Jewish religious school, named the Belz Community.
On August 7, 2002, they watched as Rand and his wife picked up a man named Ali Elbadani at Manchester Airport.
They then followed them to Newcastle where a meeting took place with two men in a BMW in a multi-storey car park.
A sports bag was transferred into the boot of Rand's car. During his journey Rand had exchanged calls with another named conspirator, Albert Tizov, from Antwerp. They returned to Manchester where Elbadani flew back to Antwerp. Rand then went to the Fulda hotel in Prestwich.
Phone records show he exchanged several mobile calls with Shadmi, who then visited the hotel briefly.
When interviewed after his arrest, Shadmi claimed not to have met Rand that day but to be visiting his aunt.
Rand also made calls to another named conspirator, Sidney Friedland, before driving to his house around midnight.
Officers then raided the home and discovered the bag, filled with £199,810, in the bath.
They also saw Friedland hide a piece of paper, with Swiss bank account details.
In Rand's car, they discovered more cash in two amounts of £9,050 and £6,595 and also a tissue box with figures written on it which tallied with the sums seized.
The next day, O'Connor was arrested on the M6, near Birmingham.
A fax was discovered in his car with details of a £500,000 debt.
When his home in Lancaster was searched officers found a banknote counting machine.
O'Connor then visited Beck on August 19. Soon after, Beck was seen having a heated argument with convicted smuggler David Beasley, who had been caught by customs officers with1.2m cigarettes on June 11 that year.
On October 1, Beck was then seen handing over a holdall to a Gary Rose, who the prosecution say was an innocent courier for Shadmi, outside his Cannon Street shop.
Officers followed and arrested Mr Rose and discovered £68,675 inside the bag.
When Beck and Shadmi were later arrested, both claimed that this money was a loan being returned, with interest, to Shadmi from Beck.
Shadmi said he kept the cash at home for six months then loaned it to Beck for a business venture which did not come off.
(Proceeding)
20 May 2005
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