TWO men have been jailed after police officers stopped a car in Merseyside and found a suitcase with nearly £500,000 in cash inside.

Officers stopped the Audi, which was being driven by Russian national Evgeny Viktorich Zhilkin, on Alamein Road in Huyton on the morning of March 15 this year.

In the back seat of the car was a suitcase which had £450,280 inside. A further search of the car found a further £50,020 which had been hidden in a concealed compartment.

The car was seized and Zhilkin, 33, was arrested at the scene.

Following further enquiries an warrant was executed at a house on Ironside Road in Huyton in June this year. Officers recovered another suitcase with £387,585 in cash inside. 

A large quantity of cannabis resin was also recovered.

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Brian Coogan, 50, of Ironside Road, was arrested at the scene.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of criminal property and possession with intent to supply a Class B drug and was today jailed for five years.

Zhilkin pleaded guilty to possession of criminal property and was jailed for 40 months.

Detective Inspector Leanne Hobin said: “From what started as a stop check on a car in Huyton turned into an extensive investigation into serious and organised crime and money laundering offences.

“We were able to forensically link the first suitcase to Brian Coogan and when we executed a warrant at his house we found a further suitcase of cash together with a substantial quantity of Class B drugs.

“Both men will now spend a number of years behind bars.”