A fraudster at the centre of a £19million money laundering scam who had "ARO6ANT" on the number plate of his flashy Mercedes has had his jail stretch slashed.

Jalil Ahmed was part of an eight-strong gang that used a technique called 'cuckoo smurfing' to launder cash from criminal networks across Europe through the bank accounts of innocent people.

Ahmed, 37, of The Copse, Moseley, Birmingham, was jailed for eight years at Birmingham Crown Court last year after admitting money laundering.

But his sentence has been reduced to seven-and-a-half years by judges sitting at London’s Criminal Appeal Court, who said the original term was "too long", reports the Birmingham Mail.

The judges refused to alter the 12-and-a-half year sentence handed to another gang member, Sahil Khan, 29, of Widney Manor Road, Solihull, in February last year.

Khan had admitted money laundering and was found guilty of conspiracy to supply class A drugs.

Birmingham MailJalil Ahmed.j £19m fraud gang. Arrogant number plateShow off: Ahmed, who was found to have £250,000 stashed at his house, had a personalised registration on his Mercedes car

The court heard both men were involved in the gang, which worked with accomplices in the Middle East and Pakistan to clean drugs money for criminals from around the UK and Europe.

Using the ‘cuckoo smurfing’ method, small amounts of cash were transferred into the bank accounts of innocent people, who did not suspect anything as they were expecting money transfers from abroad for similar sums.

The dirty cash having been swapped with the legitimate money, the funds were then withdrawn and moved around by the gang in plastic carrier bags.

During a raid in May 2011, officers seized nearly £250,000 in cash from Ahmed’s home.

He was arrested and released on bail, but continued to be involved in the scam until October of that year.

Birmingham MailJalil Ahmed.j £19m fraud gangFraudster: Jalil Ahmed's sentence was reduced to seven-and-a-half years

During a connected investigation, he was seen taking part in a drug deal involving heroin.

Lawyers for both men argued their jail terms were "too long" for their crimes, but Khan’s appeal bid was rejected.

Ahmed’s legal team said that the crown court judge was wrong to ignore his claim he was only involved in the plot for a few months.

Reducing his sentence by six months, Lord Justice Gross said Ahmed should have been given the opportunity to give evidence about the length of time he was involved.

Sitting with Mr Justice Cranston and Sir David Clarke, he added: “We think that some reduction in the sentence is called for, although we think it must be very limited indeed."