A 34-year-old 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 transported large sums of cash, ranging from 300,000 to 3.2 million kroner, to various locations around Copenhagen.
Ahmed made 45 deliveries to meeting points including private residences, a train station, a hotel, a restaurant, and a Netto store. These actions were deemed criminal and part of a larger money laundering operation.
The case, known as “Operation Ozark,” originated from the company Nordhavn Montage Aps, which issued numerous invoices to customers in 2020. These customers needed the invoices to cover undeclared work. They ordered fictitious invoices from Nordhavn Montage, paid them, and then received the amounts back in cash, minus a small deduction. The prosecution argued that Ahmed played a significant role as the deliverer of this cash.
Key evidence in the case included chat messages found on three WhatsApp accounts on phones discovered during a search of Ahmed’s Vesterbro home. Police found a white phone on the bedside table, a black phone in a chest of drawers, and a silver-gray phone also in the room. The messages included nicknames and the police worked to identify the individuals involved.
Police also conducted wiretapping and discreet surveillance of Ahmed’s movements. During the trial, Ahmed pleaded not guilty, stating that he had recently graduated in public administration in 2020 and stayed home due to the pandemic.
Despite claiming to have stayed home due to the pandemic, Ahmed also took trips to Pakistan, Cyprus, Dubai, and Germany. He currently works at a logistics company. The court noted that Ahmed did not provide an explanation for his actions, citing his right to remain silent.
The judgment includes the confiscation of 318,635 kroner from Ahmed’s bank account. A previously convicted individual in the case, who received a five-year prison sentence, is reportedly Ahmed’s uncle.