Counterfeit cash gang jailed after police bust £2.7m fake money factory

Two men behind a major counterfeit cash operation capable of producing £2.7 million in fake £20 notes have been jailed following an investigation by Essex Police.

Anthony Grimes, 64, and Paul Jones, 50, were arrested after officers raided a rented industrial workshop in Wickford in April 2024 and uncovered a sophisticated illegal printing factory producing counterfeit Bank of England polymer notes.

Inside the Cranfield Park Road unit, officers discovered large-scale printing presses, specialist machinery and production lines designed to replicate genuine £20 notes, including translucent windows and foil security features.

Investigators also found drying equipment, cutting machinery, office printers, computers and shelves stocked with dyes and materials used to create the fake cash.

The counterfeit notes linked to the pair and recovered from circulation totalled almost £600,000, with experts estimating the operation had the capacity to produce around £2.7 million worth of fake currency.

Grimes, of Galleywood, and Jones, from Camberwell in London, initially denied conspiring to make counterfeit currency. However, after changing their pleas, they were sentenced at Basildon Crown Court on Tuesday 5 May.

Grimes was jailed for five years and seven months, while Jones received four years and five months.

Detective Constable Grant Hawkins, from the Serious and Organised Crime Unit, said the counterfeit operation was “not victimless”.

He said: “These crimes impact businesses and members of the public who are left out of pocket when counterfeit notes are used.

“Now they can reflect on the cost of their offending from prison.”