A Copenhagen man, Haroon Ahmed, has been sentenced to four years in prison for laundering 66 million kroner and committing VAT fraud, according to a recent ruling by the Copenhagen City Court. Ahmed played a significant role in delivering large sums of cash, ranging from 300,000 to 3.2 million kroner, to various locations across Denmark.

The deliveries, totaling 45 trips, occurred at private residences, a train station, a hotel, a restaurant, and a Netto store. These actions were deemed criminal and part of a larger scheme to launder money from illegal activities. Despite the conviction, Ahmed remains free pending an appeal to the Eastern High Court.

The case is part of “Operation Ozark,” a police investigation that began with the company Nordhavn Montage Aps. The company allegedly issued a high volume of fictitious invoices to customers who had performed undeclared work. These customers paid Nordhavn Montage and later received the amounts back in cash, minus a small deduction. The prosecution argued that Ahmed was a key figure in these cash deliveries.

Crucial evidence in the case included chat messages discovered on three of Ahmed’s WhatsApp accounts found during a search of his Vesterbro home. The police also conducted surveillance and wiretapping to monitor Ahmed’s activities.

During the trial, Ahmed pleaded not guilty, stating that he had recently graduated in public administration in 2020 and was primarily at home due to the pandemic, although he did take trips to Pakistan, Cyprus, Dubai, and Germany. He also mentioned that he currently works at a logistics company. The court noted that Ahmed did not provide a full explanation for his actions.

The court has ordered the confiscation of 318,635 kroner from Ahmed’s bank account. Several other individuals have already been convicted in connection with the case, including one man who received a five-year prison sentence and whom Ahmed referred to as “uncle,” although he denied referring to himself as “great nephew.”