UK: Gangland banker who ignored wife’s pleas to end life of crime jailed

A gangland banker whose wife begged him to quit laundering cash for criminals has been jailed.

Nouman Tariq was part of a network of seemingly legitimate businessmen who were paid to smuggle huge sums across the Pennines for organised crime syndicates.

It is suspected up to £200m was smuggled by the underworld banking system unearthed by HMRC’s Operation Enigma. Much of the cash passed from villains in Merseyside to counterparts in Bradford linked to the heroin trade.

Manchester Crown Court heard Tariq supervised a thwarted handover of £100,000 inCheetham Hill, travelled to Bradford to hand over £30,000 of dirty cash, and was spotted swapping suspected bundles of banknotes in the car park of the Trafford Centre.