Man who had £20,000 cash stash is jailed for four years

Gwyn Jones, 39, was originally charged with handling property stolen from a North Wales burglary which were found at a flat he rented in Liverpool.

But police also found the cash hidden in addresses associated with him and his partner and charged him with possessing it as criminal property, or money laundering.

Jones persuaded two associates to make up a story that the money had come from the sale of a Maserati luxury sports car.

Mold Crown Court heard how Jones said that the car owner was an alcoholic who had given him the cash for safe keeping.

But it was all made up and today Jones and the other two are behind bars.

Jones, of Pant Lane, Gresford, received a total of four years after he admitted handling the proceeds of a house burglary at Ffrith in Flintshire, two counts of possessing cocaine, possessing the cash as criminal property and conspiring to pervert the course of justice.

Judge Philip Hughes also made an order under The Proceeds of Crime declaring that his criminal benefit was £32,598.

A confiscation was made in that amount and Jones was given six months to pay – or serve an additional six months in prison.

Co-defendant Dyfed Edwards, 41, of High Street, Gwersyllt, Wrexham, admitted the joint conspiracy to pervert the course of justice over the false police statement about selling the car, and he was jailed for 10 months.

Garage owner John Hughes, 27, of Penymynydd, Flintshire, was jailed for six months.

The court heard as the owner of Zone One Car Sales at Caergwrle, Flintshire he had sold a Masarati car but he admitted perjury after he changed the dates of the sale.

Jones’ partner, Jenny McNee, 27, of Church Street, Rhos, a mother-of-two with a third child on the way, received a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, was placed on supervision and sent on a 30-session “thinking skills” programme.

She denied possessing criminal property, or money laundering, but was convicted at a previous trial.

Jones told the court through his barrister that he accepted that the others would not be in the dock with him but for his own actions.

Nicholas Williams, prosecuting, said in December 2013 police searched a flat in Liverpool which was rented by Jones at £2,000 a month. He had paid the first month’s rent in cash.

CCTV evidence showed him and McNee going to and from the flat on a regular basis.

At the flat were a television, an iPhone, an iPod and sound system, a laptop and computer games console valued at just under £2,000, which had been taken during a burglary at Ffrith in Flintshire.

Cocaine was also found, consistent with personal use.

Jones was arrested and gave a no comment interview, before being bailed.

A short time later police arrested McNee at her mother’s address in Wrexham. She denied knowing the items were stolen and that was accepted by the prosecution.

But she had a utility bill for an address in Johnstown, where she said she had stayed and which belonged to a friend of Jones’.

Police searched that property and recovered more than £7,000 – most in £1,000 bundles – which Mr Williams said was the proceeds of criminal conduct by Jones.

Officers also found plastic packaging with traces of cocaine.

In February 2014 police searched the address in Church Street in Rhos where they recovered just under £12,000 in cash – again most of it in £1,000 bundles.

Both were charged with money laundering, Jones pleaded not guilty and in a defence statement said that the money belonged to Edwards, was the proceeds of the sale of the car, and that Edwards was an alcoholic who had given him the money to look after.

Edwards provided a statement to that effect – saying £12,000 came from the car and £8,000 by other means.

The police probe continued and when Hughes was asked about the sale of the car he made a statement confirming he purchased it from Edwards for £12,000.

But checks confirmed that the car had not been taken to his garage until February, a couple of weeks after he said he had bought it, Mr Williams said.

Hughes was arrested in July when he asked police if he could retract his statement.

Jonathan Duffy, for Jones, said that he had admitted all offences.

Mr Duffy said that Edwards had only got involved because of a misplaced sense of loyalty to Jones.

John Hedgecoe, for Hughes, said that his client had a wife and two young children and said a prison sentence would create difficulties for his family and his business.

Paul Abraham, for McNee, said that she was only in the dock because of her romantic relationship with Jones. She had two children and was pregnant with her third child.