Glasgow men convicted of ‘cuckoo smurfing’ scam
![The trio were caught with a plastic bag filled with banknotes. Picture: TSPL](https://www.scotsman.com/webimg/legacy_elm_41312904.jpg?crop=3:2,smart&width=640&quality=65&enable=upscale)
![The trio were caught with a plastic bag filled with banknotes. Picture: TSPL](/img/placeholder.png)
Shop-keeper Muhammed Hameed roped in his uncle Saleem Shikari and worker Shahid Aslam to hide almost £700,000 of ill-gotten gains.
The sophisticated scheme the trio were part of involves crime gangs replacing legitimate sums of cash – intended for bank transfer overseas – with “dirty” money.
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Hide AdThey were snared as part of Operation Confab – a huge probe set-up to catch Hameed and his associates.
When police swooped in 2013, the three were caught red-handed with a plastic bag stuffed with £75,000 of banknotes at Hameed’s flat in Dundee.
Hameed, 32, Aslam, 36 and 52-year-old Shikari are now behind bars after the they each pled guilty to a charge under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
A judge remanded them in custody and they face a lengthy jail-term when they are sentenced next month.