Terrence Bowler, 40, of Kingston, Surrey sentenced to 16 years

Terrence Bowler, 40, of Kingston, Surrey sentenced to 16 years. He Had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import cannabis and conspiracy to launder money. The judge told him: ''You are described as a senior controlling figure in the criminal group. You attended regular 'board meetings' to plan the operations, you were seen to brief new recruits to the organisation, you rented the premises to store drugs, and others to store cash.'' The court had heard that the criminals were receiving the drugs at Harwich ferry port in Essex before transferring it to a warehouse in Chatham, Kent. But after the seizure they changed tactics, shipping the drugs to Hull and on to a warehouse in Leeds. The cannabis was then taken to a number of lock-up garages in places including Kingston, Worcester Park, Epsom and Ashtead. Much of the cash was laundered at an east London bureau de change, the World Currency Exchange, where gang members took holdalls stuffed with up to £20,000. A money counting machine recovered from the bureau de change had processed 520,000 individual notes - the equivalent of £10 million in £20 bills. The judge said the prosecution was right to describe the conspiracies contained in the case as drug smuggling and money laundering "on a massive scale". The wholesale value of £62 million of the drugs involved would have been "very much more" at street prices.
"It was imported into the UK and distributed, and the money was expertly laundered," he said. "The conspirators took care that the money and drugs were never together. I heard expert evidence that this was a deliberate decision so that, in the event of a police raid, the conspirators would not lose the money and drugs at once."
He added that the money laundering operation was highly successful, and succeeded in concealing large sums of money, much of it abroad, which may never be recovered.
"I have no doubt that large sums of money have been concealed abroad. Others of you have invested in property abroad." The court heard that the police had the gang under surveillance for 14 months from August 2007 to November 2008 and when the men were arrested officers seized 2,125lb (964kg) of skunk and £550,000 in cash.
Timothy Cray, prosecuting, said there was clear evidence to suggest the seizures were "just the tip of a large criminal iceberg".

The judge handed out 14-year jail terms to Peter Moran, 37, of Fulham, west London, and Mark Kinnimont, 40, of Surbiton, Surrey, who were said to be high up in the gang's hierarchy. They pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import controlled drugs and conspiracy to launder the proceeds of crime. Roger Alexander, 44, of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, who sold much of the imported product, earning £150 to £175 per kilo, was jailed for eight and a half years. He admitted conspiracy to supply controlled goods and conspiracy to launder the proceeds of crime. Liam Salter, 39, of Tadworth, Surrey, and Timothy Sullivan, 38, of Epsom, Surrey, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply controlled drugs and conspiracy to launder the proceeds of crime, were jailed for seven years. David Couchman, 38, of Southwark, south London, who admitted similar offences, received six and a half years. Asim Bashir, 35, of Ilford, Essex, who ran the bureau de change, making sure the drug money was included with legitimate cash and laundered through the financial system, received six years. He was convicted of laundering the proceeds of crime. Barrie Burn, 60, of Bristol, received four years, and Peter Brown, 37, of Kingston, three and a half years. Both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply controlled drugs. A driver for the gang, James Hay, 31, of Ashtead, Surrey, who was found guilty of possession with intent to supply controlled drugs after he was caught with 20kg of cannabis, received three and a half years.
Andrew West, 36, of Tadworth, another courier for the gang, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder the proceeds of crime, received 18 months.