Quote:French police raid drug and money-laundering gang linked to English Premier League

By Peter Allen
Last updated at 12:04 PM on 22nd March 2010

Allegations: One of the British men arrested as part of a drugs and money-laundering gang bust has claimed the money came from professional football transfers in England

A vast drug and money-laundering operation run by British gangsters which may have links to Premier League football transfers has been uncovered by police in France’s Dordogne region.

Armed officers from both sides of the Channel raided a number of upmarket homes in two isolated villages favoured by British expatriates.

There they found drugs and thousand of pounds worth of used notes, along with luxury cars including Aston Martin DB9s and Mercedes SLKs.

There have been numerous arrests in connection with the enquiry, all of British nationals who claimed to have moved to France ‘for the good life’, said an investigating officer.

One – so far named only as Stephen C. – was arrested in a car travelling from Narbonne, on the south coast, to the city of Toulouse.

Police found half-a-million pounds worth of used notes in his boot, along with traces of cocaine.

‘He told us that all the money came from professional footballer transfers in England,’ added the investigating officer.

‘Those arrested say they had links with big names in the world of Premiership football.’

More to come...

David Guyatt Wrote:For many years now I've concluded that Russian billionaires and other mega-wealthy Premier League club owners were engaged in money-laundering and other mafia-style operations like gambling and game fixing. I also think the FA are cognizant of this and may even be involved themselves.

THus this doesn't come as a surprize -- except that it made it to the MSM.

David Guyatt Wrote:When you're instructed not to see what you can see, then you can't see, if you see what I mean.

Paul Rigby Wrote:

David Guyatt Wrote:When you're instructed not to see what you can see, then you can't see, if you see what I mean.

Fouche?

Quote:British bookies have been vindicated by their decision to suspend betting on the Serie A match between Chievo and Catania that ended in a 1-1 draw on Sunday.

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A number of high street bookmakers in the UK made their decision before the weekend after around £2 million was staked before the clash between the two unfashionable clubs.
A further £217,000 was staked on a 1-1 result between the two sides placed in the bottom half of Serie A.
David Williams, from Ladbrokes, told The Sun: "We saw a lot of money for the draw and decided to pull the plug."
A Victor Chandler spokesman also added that their company felt 'vindicated' by the decision.
The newspaper also quoted one UK gambler as saying: "As early as last Wednesday a lot of people were very confident this game would be a draw.
"The amount of money was unbelievably high for two teams in their position. Neither is exactly a household name here."
Chievo opened the scoring in the 13th minute before Catania levelled from the spot with 17 minutes remaining.

David Guyatt Wrote:I don't like Italian cheese at all:

Quote:EastEnders star's brother at centre of French police raid on drug gang linked to English Premier League

By Peter Allen
Last updated at 12:27 PM on 23rd March 2010

Darren Owen, the imprisoned brother of EastEnders actor Sid Owen, is linked to a police probe into a British drugs ring that has claimed it was on 'first name terms' with Premiership footballers.

Owen was jailed for eight years for smuggling £1million of cocaine into Britain earlier this month.

Now police are investigating his involvement in a Dordogne-based drugs and money-laundering ring after ten British gangsters were arrested in France yesterday as the vast drug and money-laundering operation was smashed.


Jailed: Darren Owen pleaded guilty to smuggling £1m worth of cocaine into the UK


Former EastEnders star Sid Owen as Ricky Butcher, the character he played on the soap for 12 years

Officers from both sides of the Channel raided upmarket homes in two villages near Perigueux and found vast quantities of drugs and cash.

The criminals claimed the millions of used notes came from Premier League football 'transfer bungs'.

Much of it had been transported in reinforced hidden compartments in luxury cars. It was being used to buy chateaux and land in the area.

Police say most of the money came from bringing cocaine into Britain, but French investigating officer Guy Sapata did not rule out the Premier League link.

'Organised crime is involved in all kinds of activities. There could be an overlap between drugs, money-laundering and big money transfers,' he said.

Some of the biggest clubs in England have been accused of using under-the-table cash to tempt players from France.

Some of those arrested claimed to have moved to France 'for the good life', said an investigating officer.

One claims he was regularly receiving cash payments for his work with UK-based football agents.

The inquiry began in May 2009 when one of the accused - named as Stephen Campbell - was arrested in a car travelling from Narbonne, on the south coast, to the city of Toulouse, in the south west.

Police found £500,000 worth of used notes in a hidden compartment in the boot of his Mercedes, along with traces of cocaine.

The Englishman had been put under surveillance, and detectives established that he had made at least 20 'suspicious' journeys delivering money around Europe.

Cocaine is thought to have been delivered from Spain, after arriving in boats from Africa, said police.

But there is also an allegation that some of the cash was linked to agents or other parties involved in the lucrative - and notoriously unregulated - trade in footballers.

Campbell claimed that the money in his Mercedes was provided as part of a ‘bung’ connected with the transfer of a player to a leading English club, police said yesterday.


Profits: The gang leaders allegedly used drug money to buy property in France's Dordogne region


'He told us that all the money came from professional footballer transfers in England,' added the investigating officer.

'Those arrested say they had links with big names in the world of Premiership football.'

Toulouse judicial police and Britain’s Serious Organised Crime Agency are preparing cases against all those arrested, whose operation was centred on two picturesque villages in the Dordogne.

Two other suspects, Mark Bridges and Mickael Keating, lived in Augignac and Champniers-et-Reilhac respectively.

Both apparently poured their profits from organised crime into luxury properties in the area, and into farmland.

They are suspected of recruiting ‘lieutenants’ from London, to act as ‘runners’ of both drugs and laundered money.

French police arrested Mr Keating in the Dordogne in December, while Mr Bridges was arrested on February 14 when he visited a private clinic in London for a minor operation.

They also found three luxury cars linked to Mr Keating, as well as documentation on property investment in Cyprus, where the gang are suspected of having laundered money.

On February 24, police arrested Sophie Smith, Mr Keating’s girlfriend, in Augignac.
Miss Smith, orignally from London, is in custody and under investigation for suspected money laundering and drug trafficking.

The police also visited Mr Bridges’ parents, who live in Champniers-et-Reilhac, and found a sky-blue Aston Martin DB9 and Mercedes.

The parents were about to cash in £50,000 in treasury bonds to pay for their son's defence.

Stephen Farrant, another alleged member of the gang who lived in the Dordogne, was arrested in Hove, East Sussex, after a surveillance operation. Police found 19lb of cocaine, worth almost £500,000.

French investigating officer Guy Sapata said: ‘All links between the criminal gang and personalities in Britain are being investigated. There are claims that those arrested were on first name terms with these personalities.’

All of those involved were blending in with the thousands of Britons who have set up homes in one of the most unspoiled regions of Europe - one which is frequently referred to as 'Dordogneshire' because of its popularity with what the French call 'Anglo Saxons'.