Three forgers jailed after undercover operation that revealed £50,000 of fake £1 coins

Some of the high quality fake currency might still be in circulation say police

Three forgers have been jailed for what police believe is the largest ever plot to make fake £1 coins in the UK – some of which may still be in circulation.

Kevin Fisher, 53, from Goffs Oak in Hertfordshire, was sentenced to seven years in prison at Southwark Crown Court for his role as ringleader of the scam. Co-conspirator Daniel Sullivan, 28, from Hornchurch, east London, received three years, and another man Mark Abbott, 44, from Edmonton, north London, was given two years.

They were behind what is thought to be a record number of fake coins, which were discovered after an undercover police operation in May last year. A 40-foot storage container that contained 1,600,000 metal discs was found in Waltham Abbey, Essex, with £20,000 of fake coins. There was also £30,000 in fake coins in a car nearby.

Scotland Yard said the haul was “the tip of the iceberg” for the gang, and that the coins were of high enough quality to pass off as real. It added that some of the fake currency might now be in circulation.