DRUGS GANG LINK TO UKP6M CONMAN

A conman with links to London's top drugs gang was convicted yesterday of a
UKP6m "sting". Anthony Passmore, 52, was arrested by police as he enticed
foreign businessmen and investors to London, intending to steal a further
UKP12m. He told his victims he was a wealthy Dublin businessman and Bank of
Ireland executive.

In fact, Passmore was a professional fraudster with links to the notorious
Adams family drugs gang. On Friday the Adams' key money launderer Saul
"Solly" Nahome, 48, was shot dead outside his home in Finchley, north
London.

In September, the gang's second most senior member, Sean "Tommy" Adams, was
jailed for seven years for importing UKP2m worth of cannabis.

When Passmore was arrested he was about to collect a banker's draft for
nearly UKP12m which had been cleared by the Bank of Scotland. He was posing
as Anthony Barry, a leading Irish banker. The police have identified 13
victims rooked by Passmore's gang in a six-month period last year. There
are believed to be more. He had conned one group of Hong Kong businessmen
out of UKP750,000. An Italian-Canadian family lost UKP200,000 and an
American psychologist lost UKP75,000. Passmore lured victims to London with
promises of lucrative investments in African countries.

When the Italian-Canadian family realised they had been conned they sent an
associate to take revenge. But before he could deal with Passmore he was
detained by police at a London hotel and sent home.

At the end of a seven-week trial at the Middlesex Guildhall Court, Passmore
was convicted of conspiracy to defraud by a majority verdict. He will be
sentenced by the end of the month with his co-accused Keith Bartlett, who
had pleaded guilty. A third defendant, Raymond Ayar, went on the run.

Only UKP50,000 of the UKP6m has been recovered. Police are investigating
whether Passmore has hidden assets in the United States and Spain.