Three people have been sentenced to a total of 14 and a half years imprisonment for laundering over £2 Million of funds internationally on behalf of Chinese criminal gangs.

The third individual was sentenced yesterday at Birmingham Crown Court.  Yan Li, 39, who operated from addresses in Dudley and Birmingham received three years after she admitted 33 counts of money laundering. Her co-accused, Bo Li, 42, of Shirley, and Anthony Whale, 35, of Kingswinford were jailed earlier this year for their roles in the money laundering operation and received 6 ½ and 5 years respectively.

The investigation showed the funds were in part made of the criminal benefit of the gangmasters whose exploitation of illegal immigrants tragically resulted in the deaths of 21 Chinese Illegal Immigrants in Morecambe Bay in February 2004, who died on the sands of Morecambe whilst picking cockle shells.

DC Derek Tinsley, a financial investigator on the Midlands RART, who, together with the CPS team, earned a Judges Commendation yesterday off Judge Morris, conducted the investigation. Over £750,000 of assets are under restraint awaiting a Confiscation Hearing.

The sentences at Birmingham Crown Court demonstrate the seriousness with which the Court will deal with those who provide the criminal infrastructure to crime gangs and should encourage anyone investigating crime to consider money-laundering offences.

Tony Baker of the Crown Prosecution Service said that the investigation into their activities focused on sending money out of the UK, and using criminal money to buy properties.

"This led to worldwide enquiries being made and great co-operation from the governments of Hong Kong and Norway in order to obtain as much evidence to bring these three individuals to justice" he said.

Picture below; Photograph of £50,000 cash in a shoebox, which featured during the investigation.