£300,000 Of Cash Seized At Port

Officers from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) are investigating a smuggling bid after approximately £300,000 worth of Euro notes were seized at Dover Ferry Port.

UK Border Agency (UKBA) officers stopped a Rover saloon car at the Outward Controls as it was waiting to board a ferry at lunchtime on Saturday 3 October 2009. A sniffer dog gave a positive indication on the vehicle and officers discovered the cash in 500 Euro notes in envelopes hidden in the engine compartment of the car.

The driver of the vehicle was arrested and interviewed by HMRC investigation officers and later charged with concealing criminal property contrary to Section 327(1)(a) of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Dervish Ozdemir, 32, of 11 Monmouth Road, London, N9 was remanded in custody and is due to appear before Folkestone magistrates today.

Bob Gaiger, HMRC Dover spokesman in the South East said:

"Cash is seized if there are reasonable grounds to suspect it is the proceeds of, or is intended for use in, illegal activities. The Proceeds of Crime Act was specifically designed to take the profit out of crime, making it harder for money to be laundered and depriving criminals of their illicit wealth. It is a vital element of our criminal investigation strategy."