London – Three Nigerians were sentenced on Thursday for their role in laundering more than 15 million pounds in drug money through the British bank account of a Nigerian company, police said.
Timothy Felder, 50, his wife Ann, 28, and Ray Orah, 47, were all caught by Scotland Yard officers exchanging bags stuffed with ten of thousands of British pounds in cash.
Orah and a fourth suspect, who has since died, regularly deposited money into the British account of Nigeria-based Milla Holdings.
Orah was sentenced to three and a half years in prison, while Timothy was imprisoned for two and a half years. Ann Felder received a 12-month suspended sentence.
A total of about �377 000 in cash was seized during the arrests, and police said the money, which was heavily contaminated with heroin, was believed to be the proceeds of drug-trafficking.
Police said they could find no evidence that Milla Holdings, ostensibly involved in the importation of spare car parts, had ever conducted any legitimate business in Britain.
More than 15 million pounds were deposited into Milla Holdings’ account between 2006 and 2007. The money was immediately moved abroad, police said, without divulging exactly where