A British man stopped trying to board a ferry to the UK with nearly £163,000 in undeclared cash in his van has had a two-year prison sentence reduced to a fine by a French court.
The Connexion reported earlier this year how the 76-year old was stopped by customs officials in Ouistreham (Calvados) and officers discovered the money hidden in his van.
During the initial case, he claimed to have had no knowledge of the money and that he thought he was transporting furniture between Spain and the UK.
He claimed he only noticed a bag of cash as it fell out of the inside of the van when he hit the vehicle in frustration at something.
When trying to board a ferry to the UK, customs officials searched his vehicle and found the £163,000 (equivalent of €186,000) in cash inside a number of bags hidden in the van.
The money was said to be gained from drug trafficking.
Appeal successful
The original sentence was for a two-year prison sentence, 16 months of which was suspended, however the man appealed.
The Caen court of appeals heard the case on Monday (June 3) and overturned the prison sentence, as well as the charge of money laundering.
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However, a €10,000 fine to be paid to customs officials is still required, and the conviction of ‘carrying out financial transactions between France and other countries with funds derived from drug offences’ remains.
The man said he was unaware that large sums of money needed to be declared to customs officials.
In addition, the van has now been returned to him.
