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Sixteen members of drugs money laundering gang jailed for a total of 73 years

Sixteen members of a Midlands-based drugs money laundering racket worth £35 million have been jailed for a combined 73 years.

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Crime syndicates across the country laundered their narcotics cash through the network headed by Harpal Singh Gill from Smethwick.

Gill, aged 67, of Wall Close, set up a number of bogus clothing and textile companies to disguise the operation. False invoices helped the network launder more than £35 million between May 2007 and May 2013, the National Crime Agency has revealed

He recruited his son, Manjit Gill, aged 40, from George Road, Edgbaston, a singer who is also known as Foji Gill, to take on the role of director for a number of companies.

He also had responsibility for receiving significant amounts of money.

Gill and his son were sentenced for money laundering offences in March this year after being found guilty at Birmingham Crown Court, receiving 11 years and five years in prison respectively.

The full scale of the enterprise was revealed today after the last four members of the network were sentenced at court.

Also from the Black Country were Shafak Mohammed, 45, of Russells Hall Road, Dudley, who headed a bogus company and was found guilty of money laundering and sentenced to 21 months in prison.

Sukhvinder Singh Dosanjh, 41, of Birmingham Road, Walsall, would meet up with couriers bringing money from other criminal groups to be laundered. He was responsible for depositing large amounts of money and was sentenced to five and a half years in prison after being found guilty.

Paul Risby, of the National Crime Agency, said: "Harpal Singh Gill used his position as head of his family and local businessman to influence family members and associates in his local community to be part of his criminal enterprise. He knowingly took advantage of the respect afforded to him, persuading them to set up bogus companies and handle huge amounts of cash on his behalf.

"Those involved in the most serious types of crime depend entirely on the service provided by money launderers like Gill and his associates to hide their criminal money. Gill's network was responsible for laundering over £35m, every single pound of which represents misery inflicted on communities locally and across the UK."

Gill employed his friend and accountant, Gurpreet Singh Roewal, aged 50, from Lyndon Road, Solihull, who was his right hand man and received eight years in jail. He advised Gill how to stay under the radar of HM Revenue and Customs.

Roewal provided an air of legitimacy to the bogus companies by opening bank and trading accounts, and liaised with businesses to arrange exchange rates and the transfer of cash. When financial institutions raised concerns about the companies' amount of money despite a lack of trade, he would close them down and set up new ones.

The other members of the network jailed were mother-of-two Smita Gareja, aged 48, from Applesham Close, Birmingham. She was the only female to be found guilty and received 27 months in jail.

Gurdev Singh Gill, 60, and Tarandeep Singh Gill, 28, of Lime Avenue, Leicester, was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison each.

Baldip Singh Bains, 36, of Crookham Close, Birmingham was jailed for four years.

Mohammed Pervez, 40, of Harvard Road, Solihull, laundered more than £3m and was sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to money laundering.

Prakash Chauhan, 55, of Addison Road, Kings Heath, Birmingham, was jailed for five and a half years in prison after being found guilty.

Ranjeev Singh Rai, 33, of Dovehouse Lane, Solihull pleaded guilty to money laundering and was sentenced to three years and seven months in prison.

James Coulson, 28, from Liverpool was jailed for 27 months, Santokh Singh Sangha, 62, from Leicester was imprisoned for three years, Andrew Wilson, 60, from Bedworth, Warwickshire was given a nine months suspended jail sentence and Sarup Singh Parmar, 65, from Sparkhill was jailed for 29 months

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