A 32-year-old and a 37-year-old have been convicted of attempted complicity in serious money laundering of 1.5 million euros. In 2022, they were stopped when they drove into Norway over an unmanned border crossing in Halden. In their luggage they had what appeared to be several thousand €200 notes. When the notes were later analyzed by Kripos, it turned out that they were fake. The fake notes came from a sale in Gothenburg of used Rolex and Patek Philippe watches, as well as an amount of the cryptocurrency Tether. This is what the fake notes looked like. Photo: The police Now the 37-year-old, who is said to have played the biggest role in the case, has been sentenced to two years and nine months in prison. The 32-year-old, who has previously claimed that he was duped into the case, has been sentenced to two years and three months in prison. Both pleaded not guilty when they appeared in Søndre Østfold district court in August. They have also been convicted of failing to report the importation of what they thought was an amount of millions. Received payment in locked suitcase At the time the 32-year-old and 37-year-old were stopped with the fake money, the latter ran a company that sold watches, cryptocurrency and computers. While the 32-year-old met the buyers, the crypto entrepreneur sat in a car outside the hotel where the sale took place in Gothenburg in October 2022. Later, the 32-year-old received the payment in a locked suitcase with a padlock. Only when they approached the border with Norway on their way home did they stop to open the suitcase. – They used a grinding cup to break open the lock on the suitcase. They perceived that the money lying in plastic bags was real, but they did not touch the notes, the judgment states. In total, there were fake euro notes equivalent to over NOK 20 million in the car. Photo: The police Not known if the verdict will be appealed It is not yet known if any of the parties will appeal the verdict. – We have not decided on the verdict yet, says police attorney Else Loge to news. In a text message, the 37-year-old’s defender, Ole Richard Holm-Olsen, writes that they need time to read the verdict before they can make a decision on what should be appealed. The 32-year-old is currently abroad. The man’s defender, John Christian Elden, says that it is not yet clear whether he will appeal the sentence. Published 02.09.2024, at 21.58
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Crypto seller convicted after importing thousands of fake banknotes – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
