He was desperate to pay for his son's medical care - so turned to gang for help (original) (raw)

A father desperate for money to pay for his dying son’s medical bills joined a criminal gang and couriered £1m of illegal money destined for Iran. Serwan Mahmoud, 43, told police he had been unaware the money he was collecting from addresses across the UK to be transferred to Iran was illegal.

When police pulled Mahmoud over on the M4 near Cardiff on June 10 he told them they would find a lot of cash in his car. Officers from Gwent Police then found hundreds of pounds in the centre console and £76,000 in the boot, Clare Wilks, prosecuting, told a sentencing hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court.

Police seized the vehicle, arrested Mahmoud and searched his home address where they found a further £18,000 in a bedroom and £7,000 in a wardrobe. They also seized numerous devices and found a Whatsapp group in which Mahmoud discussed with members of the gang the collection of large sums of money from across the UK.

Police found Mahmoud would drive to various locations for the illegal cash and would then make swift turnarounds. When questioned by police Mahmoud told them he thought the money was legitimately sourced and was being sent to Kurdistan where they did not have a banking system.

He said he believed the money had been collected by families wishing to send money back to Kurdistan. Explaining why he agreed to courier for the gang, he said he was employed in a kebab shop, was in receipt of benefits, and couldn’t afford to pay for his son’s cancer treatment. Mahmoud’s son, who was six years old, has since died.

The court heard how Mahmoud had been in a particularly vulnerable position when he agreed to work for the gang. A man of previously clean character, Mahmoud’s counsel, represented in court by Amelia Pike, submitted he played a lesser role in the offending as he was a courier. Ms Pike also submitted that her client’s role in the gang was not sophisticated.

She said he moved to the UK in 2003 to escape war in his home country of Iraq. She said the loss of his son had had a "significant impact" on Mahmoud’s mental health and that since his arrest Mahmoud’s family have moved away from south Wales.

Mahmoud, of Anstley Court, Derby, was sentenced for two counts of transferring criminal property by Judge Tracey Lloyd Clarke to four years and two months imprisonment, half of which he will serve behind bars. Judge Lloyd Clarke told Mahmoud in the dock that while there were “a number of mitigating factors” she did not accept he played a lesser role and that by agreeing to be a courier for the gang he played “an essential part”.

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