NORMAN RAMCHARAN, one of Jamaica's most sought-after criminals, was jailed yesterday at Blackfriars Crown Court for laundering £1.7m from the proceeds of cocaine trafficking following an intelligence-led UK Customs investigation.
Mr. Ramcharan, aged 50, from Montego Bay, received seven years and six months, and his right-hand man, Everton George Dennis, 41, of Holland Park, London, was sentenced to five years.
Customs Minister and Paymaster General to the UK treasury, Dawn Primarolo, said: "The success of this investigation has dealt a major blow to drug trafficking groups who target the UK. Customs have prevented further serious crimes from being financed. By tackling money laundering, we are cutting off the lifeblood of criminal networks.
"Customs have demonstrated the importance of working internationally to combat modern crime, and our priority is to continue cutting the supply chains of such criminals," he added.
PLACED UNDER SURVEILLANCE
Mr. Ramcharan arrived in the UK from Jamaica in January 2004 for a stomach stapling operation at a private hospital in the north of England. After convalescing, he booked into a top central London hotel where he was placed under surveillance by Customs officers. It is believed that the proceeds from the cocaine trafficking were to be routed back to Jamaica via the UK.
Mr. Dennis was arrested in February 2004 at Euston Station, London, after a trip to Manchester where he had been observed purchasing a black suitcase. Over £69,000 was found, distributed between his pockets and the suitcase. The cash was seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and Dennis was bailed.
Mr. Ramcharan was arrested two days later at Heathrow Airport as he was about to board a plane for Jamaica. Mr Dennis was also re-arrested in his Mercedes car near his home in Holland Park, London.
Both men were charged on February 8, 2004 with conspiracy offences under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. Mr Ramcharan was bailed, but on September 17 he attempted to flee the UK; he was found hiding under a sheet of chipboard in the back of a transit van at the Channel Tunnel Terminal in Folkestone, Kent.
Both men pleaded guilty to the offences on October 7, 2004.
