Scottish Money Launderer Sentenced for Attempting to Flush £12 Million in Dirty Cash Evidence Down the Toilet

A HOOD caught trying to flush evidence of a £12million dirty cash plot down the loo has learned his fate.

Ronald Russell has been caged after cops swooped on his home after his prints were found on banknotes seized in an earlier bust down south.

Dirty money found hidden in a mattress helped snare Ronald Russell.

The money launderer, 47, raced upstairs to the bathroom as his partner let cops into their pad in Linwood, Renfrewshire.

Details emerged at the High Court in Glasgow when he earlier admitted his role in an organised crime network.

And Russell today returned to the dock to be sentenced by judge Lady Hood who jailed him for four and a half years.

The court earlier heard how was snared after a Turkish lorry driver was stopped for a random search at the Port of Felixstowe in Suffolk on March 30, 2023.

A total of almost £230,000 was discovered stuffed inside a mattress within the cab of the vehicle.

Russell’s palm print was later found on a £20 note among the cash haul.

He was also linked to a piece of paper with handwritten notes also in the HGV.

It eventually led to a raid at Russell’s home by Police Scotland and the National Crime Agency.

He was found effectively trying to flush incriminating evidence down the toilet.

Lady Hood cut the jail-term from six years and nine months due to the guilty plea.

She told Russell: “You were made redundant and struggled to find employment.

“When it was suggested that, for personal profit, you should record the movement of money, you agreed despite stating (In a pre-sentencing report) that it was obvious it was not legal.

“You said, very frankly, that you did not really care.

Ronald Russell was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow today.Credit: Spindrift Russell was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow today.Credit: Les Gallagher

“It seems your account of the offending was, at times, evasive and contradictory.

“You did, in hindsight, express some remorse.”

During an earlier hearing prosecutor Lindsey Dalziel told the court: “Russell was found kneeling by the toilet with his arm inside the bowl, trying to dispose of pieces of paper from an A4 notepad.

“A total of 26 pieces of damaged paper in the form of ledger notes were retrieved from the U-bend.”

They were dried off and seized along with £50,000 in cash and phones.

One of the devices had pics appearing to show packages of £164,000 and £196,000 in the bedroom.

Scots cops were tipped off after Russell’s palm print was detected on a £20 note.

Ms Dalziel said he was involved in handovers of between £100,000 and £465,000.

The advocate depute added: “There were exchanges that showed Russell was counting money and querying discrepancies.”

His ledger entries showed £11,890,649 marked as “in” and £11,186,649 “out”.

He also took a £42,210 wage and is now facing a Proceeds of Crime hearing next year.