A couple of Italians have today been jailed for trying to smuggle thousands of fake pound coins into the UK via the Port of Dover.

Italian nationals, Giuseppe Savoia, 26, and Norma Pitrolo, 25, were arrested in Dover in July last year as they entered the UK on a scheduled coach service.

Almost 7,500 brand new coins were found in their suitcase.

The pair were found guilty of importation and forgery offences following a trial at Canterbury Crown Court, and have been sentenced to ten months each in prison.

Posing as tourists, they had been using the imitation coins to put into gaming machines to then get “cash out” tickets.

These were then exchanged for genuine banknotes by unsuspecting casino cashiers.

Once arrested, the case was transferred to investigators from the National Crime Agency’s Border Policing Command, who came to the conclusion that the pair were part of a gang involved in defrauding casinos in London’s West End.

CCTV footage saw Savoia and Pitrolo con a casino in Piccadilly and others in Leicester Square also fell victim to the same fraudulent act.

The coins found were all same and were seized by the Border Force in Dover.

Border Force regional director, Paul Morgan, said: “This couple were involved in a plot to defraud casinos to the tune of thousands of pounds.

“I’ve no doubt that had they not been stopped by Border Force officers then the damage would have been much greater.

“Working with the National Crime Agency we have prevented a large amount of counterfeit cash from entering the UK and put two members of an organised crime network behind bars.”

It is believed that a total of around £14,000 worth of fake coins were passed off by the gang.