A Manchester student has been found guilty of money laundering after being caught transporting over £400,000 of illegal money on trains across the UK.
21-year-old former engineering student Yuming Dong was part of what British Transport Police (BTP) called a “complex and sophisticated” Chinese Underground Banking Scheme – which operated among students at the University of Manchester – and he often took up the role of a courier, before eventually handing himself in.
On at least two occasions, Dong travelled between London and Manchester to transport over £400,000 of illegal ash to be used as a cash pool.
On one of these occasions on 4 February 2019, Dong texted BTP and claimed there was a suspicious person on board the train who was carrying a large yellow suitcase.
Officers then boarded the train at Manchester Piccadilly, and found Dong “behaving in an agitated way”.
ADVERTISEMENT
A conniving student who transported over half a million pounds of illicit money across the country before turning himself in has been sentenced.
Yuming Dong was part of a complex scheme which operated among students at the University of Manchester.
The student’s behaviour led officers to the discovery of nearly £255,000 of cash in his suitcase and Dong was subsequently arrested on suspicion of money laundering, with all of the the money being seized by BTP.
After Dong handed himself in, a search of his address uncovered a diary with mention of money laundering, as well as used train tickets from previous visits to London to collect cash, and further enquiries conducted on the number he used to text BTP proved the extent of his involvement in the criminal conspiracy.
Dong was found guilty of money laundering at Manchester Crown Court on Thursday 28 July, and a judge sentenced him to 18 months imprisonment, suspended for two years.
Yuming Dong was caught with £250,000 in cash inside a suitcase at Manchester Piccadilly / Credit: Network Rail Media
“This was a complex and painstaking investigation which uncovered a sophisticated criminal operation involving large scale money laundering and deception,” explained Detective Inspector Granville Sellers – from BTP’s Major Serious and Organised Crime team.
ADVERTISEMENT
“The sum of money involved is simply staggering, but it’s very satisfying to know that over £250,000 of this will now be used as police funds – allowing us further investment in keeping the travelling public safe.
“Money laundering is not a victimless crime, the cash involved often originates from criminal activity such as drug dealing and exploitation.
“We will always take these reports seriously and work tirelessly to bring offenders before the courts.”
Featured Image – BTP
News
Police appeal to find next of kin after man found outside Palace Theatre
Daisy Jackson
Police are trying to track down the family of a man who died after being found unresponsive outside the Palace Theatre in Manchester.
The man, who has now been named as Jonathan Bernard Carroll, was seen outside the city centre theatre at around 6.30am on Tuesday 12 November.
Emergency services rushed to the scene and Mr Carroll was taken to hospital.
Tragically, the 47-year-old passed away a short time later.
A large cordon was in place on Whitworth Street and Oxford Road while police and security attended the incident.
Greater Manchester Police are now appealing to find his next of kin.
It’s believed that he resided in the Salford area of Greater Manchester.
Anyone with any information should contact the Coroner’s Office on 0161 856 1376.
Greater Manchester public urged to help get people ‘off the streets and on their feet’ before Christmas
Emily Sergeant
Locals are being urged to help get hundreds of people “off the streets and back on their feet” this festive season.
As the temperatures told colder by the day, and Christmas creeps closer and closer, Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity is bringing back ‘1000 Beds for Christmas’, and the massively-important initiative is aiming to provide 1,000 nights of accommodation to people at risk of homelessness before the big day arrives.
Forming part of the ongoing ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme, this festive fundraising mission is designed to provide food, shelter, warmth, and dedicated vital wrap-around support for those who need it most.
The charity says it wants to build on the “incredible success of 2023”, which raised more than £55,000 and provided 1,800 nights of accommodation.
Stockport-based property finance specialists, Together – which has supported the campaign for the last two years – has, once again, generously pledged to match every public donation for the first £20,000 raised.
Unfamiliar with the ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme? Since 2017, when rough sleeping peaked, the initiative has helped ensure a significantly-higher rate of reduction in the numbers of people facing a night on streets in Greater Manchester than seen nationally.
The landmark scheme has given people the chance to rebuild their lives, while also giving them access to key services and opportunities that allows them to stay off the streets for good.
Despite the scheme’s recent success, organisations across Greater Manchester are under “a huge amount of pressure” to meet the demand for their services this winter, and given the current economic outlook, household budgets will continue to be squeezed – leaving people on the sharp end of inequality and poverty.
Emily Sergeant -
3rd August 2022 
