Border Force officers stopped 45-year-old Dutch man Harm Stachouwer on 25 February 2019 at the Channel Tunnel as he was about to board the Eurotunnel train. During the stop, officers discovered a large sum of cash believed to be crime proceeds.
Stachouwer initially claimed he was on a business trip to Dublin and planned to visit his parents in The Netherlands before returning home to Andorra. He said he worked in the medical sector and chaired an organisation selling cancer radiation equipment. At first, he admitted to carrying only “maybe five thousand euros.”
However, when questioned further, Stachouwer directed officers to a suitcase in the boot of his vehicle. He confessed it contained between €400,000 and €500,000 of his savings, cash he promised could be traced.
Inside the suitcase, officers found two large heat-sealed bags marked as ‘Swedish Twisted Fire Lighters.’ This marking was considered a likely attempt to evade detection by cash-sniffing dogs. One bag contained three boxes filled with unbundled €20 notes, while the other held two boxes packed with €50 notes.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) suspects the heat-sealed bags were used to avoid detection. Despite being given the opportunity to prove the cash’s legal origin, Stachouwer failed to provide credible evidence.
On 14 October, Maidstone Magistrates’ Court confirmed the forfeiture of the cash after Stachouwer offered no contest to the proceedings.
NCA Branch Commander Mark Howes commented on the case: “Stachouwer could not provide a credible explanation as to how he had obtained such a large amount of cash. It was packed into heat-sealed bags, we believe in a bid to avoid detection by cash dogs.
“The use of civil powers allows us to target suspected criminal cash and crucially deprives organised crime groups of their profits. This money can no longer be used to reinvest in more offending.
“Money is at the heart of organised crime, which is why the NCA prioritises disrupting money laundering operations both in the UK and overseas.”
Originally published by UKNIP.
