Almost £1 million has been recovered from a courier working for an organised crime group who hid cash totalling more than £850k in a secret compartment in his van.

Money launderer Faisal Khan was jailed for six years in September 2019 following his arrest at the Channel Tunnel terminal near Folkestone the previous January.

It is thought the 29-year-old had been working for an OCG supplying class A drugs.

He had been attempting to leave the country in his blue Ford Transit when it was stopped and selected for a random search by UK Border Force staff.

Officers discovered a magnet inside the vehicle and used it to find and open the secret hideaway.

A total of £856,330 in cash was found inside, which was seized.

The sum has now been forfeited along with an extra £4,558 in interest following a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing held at Canterbury Crown Court yesterday (Tuesday).

Khan, from Batley in West Yorkshire, had attempted to distance himself from the money by waiving any rights to the cash beforehand.

However, financial investigators from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate found he would have been paid a significant sum of money each time he transported goods for the OCG.

They also found that he had various assets available including a car, land and residential property.

At a separate hearing held in April he had been ordered to repay £90,150 within three months or face a further year behind bars.

Detective Chief Inspector Helena Banusic of the Serious Economic Crime Unit said: "Faisal Khan may have been happy to distance himself from the vast quantity of cash found hidden within his van but it was clear he was still benefiting financially from the work he had carried out on behalf of the organised crime group.

"It would have been unacceptable for him to continue to enjoy his illegally-funded possessions following his eventual release from prison, which is why the Proceeds of Crime Act exits to ensure offenders like Khan are made to literally pay for their crimes."

Detective Sergeant Matthew Whitlock of the Border Policing team said: "We work closely with our partner agencies at the ports to ensure criminals do not attempt to import or export cash, weapons or other items linked to criminal activity.

"This was a significant seizure of money that demonstrates our determination and commitment to disrupt the ability of organised groups to profit from their crimes."

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