A man who stashed £630,000 in supermarket and sports bags at his home has been ordered to pay back the cash.

Karl Lockey, 33, of Sinclair Way, Dartford, was jailed for two years for money laundering in October 2020.

Following an investigation led by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU), which tackles serious organised crime, Lockey's home was raised by police.

Officers found cash totalling £632,000 hidden in 12 shopping and sports bags.

A number of high-value items indicating his criminal lifestyle were also seized, including motor vehicles, motorcycles, designer watches, clothing and expensive fishing equipment.

They also found an EncroChat encrypted mobile phone and a cash counting machine.

Lockey was arrested as part of Operation Venetic, a nationwide law enforcement investigation tackling encrypted communication devices used by criminals across the world to conduct organised crime.

ERSOU’s Criminal Finances Team under the Proceeds of Crime Act discovered Lockey had laundered more than £2 million and that the cash was directly linked to his illicit activities, which also funded his lifestyle.

A confiscation hearing took place at Woolwich Crown Court yesterday (Thursday).

He was ordered to repay £686,599.40 in full within three months or face an additional six months in prison.

Detective Inspector Rob Turner, from ERSOU’s Criminal Finances Team, said: “Lockey was a trusted component in criminal efforts to launder illicitly made money and it was important that the cash found in his home and the value of his assets were confiscated from him.

“Messages on the Encrochat system seen by investigators had indicated Lockey was involved with money laundering, and even contained conversations arranging meetings with secret verbal passwords, discussions and pictures of the hoarded cash and receipts of the counted amounts.

“There was therefore no doubt that Lockey should be forced to hand over the money, and I’m delighted that a sum as significant as this has been taken out of criminal hands.”