Three Kent men who helped produce fake banknotes worth millions of pounds have been imprisoned for a total of over 24 years after SOCA surveillance on an apparently legitimate print business.
Brothers Christian and Phillip Brown, who ran the commercial printing firm, together with Mehmet Altinfincan, were key players in an operation to print and distribute fake £20 notes. To date, notes with a face value of over £17.5m which are believed to be linked to the gang have been removed from circulation.
Intelligence gathered by SOCA officers led to the Browns’ business on Portland Road, South Norwood, London, and covert surveillance established that it was a front for buying materials needed to produce counterfeit currency.
These included a toner foiling machine and rolls of foil, which, along with a computer containing images of scanned notes, were seized from Altinfincan’s home address after the three were arrested by City of London Police officers in June 2010. The contents of a shredder were retrieved from Phillip Brown’s home, and analysis of the shredded material revealed counterfeit notes printed on the back of a poster. A memory stick containing images of scanned notes in a print-friendly layout was also discovered.
SOCA’s Trevor Symes said after the case: "Counterfeiting is theft from hardworking people, and these criminals were attempting to rip off the UK public and legitimate business on a massive scale. They now know that producing fake currency is not easy money made under the radar. It’s a direct route to prison, on top of which it can mean restrictions on their finances, and losing the assets they have acquired through their crime."
SOCA’s investigation identified that the three men were part of a wider organised crime gang involved in a range of organised criminal activities. Officers found a full cannabis production facility in Phillip Brown’s home, including 81 plants. Christian Brown was keeping a ‘business plan’ which set out projections for a £100,000 return on every two to three month cannabis plant cycle.
Counterfeit one pound coins in varying stages of completion, as well as equipment for forging one and two pound coins, were also recovered. These included a grinding machine, a smelter, a casting machine and gold spray.
Daniel Brown, a cousin of Christian and Phillip, was responsible for distributing fake €50 notes. However, it is not known if the Browns were responsible for producing these notes as well as the £20 notes. A quantity of 50 euro notes, with a combined face value in the region of 350,000 euro, was recovered from Phillip Brown’s house, and more than 9.3 million euros of the same series has to date been withdrawn from circulation across the EU.
Another gang member, Bekir Arif, who had been released from prison on licence following a previous conviction for supplying heroin, was involved in making and distributing counterfeit one pound and two pound coins.
Trevor Symes added: "This investigation demonstrated that organised criminals will pursue any form of illegal activity they think will turn a profit. They need to know that whatever they try, they will find SOCA and its partners ready to stop them, and make them pay."
SOCA’s investigation was also supported by the Bank of England and Royal Mint.
Senior lawyer with the Crown Prosecution Service Organised Crime Division, Iguyovwe Ogheneruona, said: "This is crime that affects every one of us. We need to have confidence that the notes and coins in our purses and wallets are genuine currency.
"This successful prosecution has finally put a stop to the lucrative and illegal counterfeiting trade that Christian and Phillip Brown, together with Bekir Arif and Mehmet Altinfincan had been running. The Browns, Arif and Altinfincan were the principal members of an organised crime gang and were integral to a large scale, highly sophisticated scheme in which large quantities of forged £20 notes were circulated. It is estimated notes totalling £17.5m at face value have been removed from circulation.
"We were determined to prove that each defendant was involved in the conspiracy. We worked very closely with SOCA to build a strong case against each defendant, which resulted in the sentences today. We will now be seeking to confiscate the assets of these defendants so they do not profit from their criminal lifestyle."
Advice on how to recognise genuine banknotes can be found at the Bank of England website, www.bankofengland.co.uk. Members of the public who believe they have been passed counterfeit currency, or have information on its production or distribution, should contact their local police force or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
