A conman has been convicted of fraud after he was found guilty of handling stolen wines and spirits worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Dogan Arslan, 43, was a key member of a criminal gang responsible for receiving and distributing high value alcohol to friends and family in the Turkish community in London, an operation that netted him more than £500,000.
The fraudsters managed to obtain the alcohol by assuming false identities and placing orders for between 1,000 and 18,000 bottles of wine and champagne from French wine exporters and producers. They also gave directions for the delivery of the orders to a common address in High Road, Tottenham Road.
But the deliveries were contacted en route, met by Arslan outside the address, and redirected to another warehouse where paperwork was signed and a cheque for payment handed over. All the payments later turned put to be fraudulent or drawn on closed accounts.
Police began their investigations into the operation in 2007 and were able to link the offences with Arslan's contact details and a warehouse in Markfield Road, Tottenham, London.
In October 2007, the police carried out a search warrant on the address and found 37,000 bottles of wine worth nearly £250,000. The haul included three articulated lorries which were handed over to HM Revenue and customs.
Arslan was charged with conspiracy to handle stolen goods and sentenced at Wood Green Crown Court to four and a half years on February 4.
DS Cheadle, who was responsible for the investigation said: "The fraud involved significant losses to some wine growers in France. Fortunately we were able to restore almost half the wine recovered. No lawful owner was identified for the rest and it has been destroyed by HMRC."