A former footballer who attempted to launder almost £400,000 in criminal cash has been sentenced to just over a year in prison.
Investigators from the Organised Crime Partnership, a joint unit made up of National Crime Agency and Police Scotland officers, started an investigation after watching James Keatings, 33, from Ryde Road in Wishaw remove two boxes from the back of his white transit van and place them in the back of a second van before driving away at around 2.30pm on 28 June last year.
The second van was stopped and searched by officers and two boxes were discovered in its rear containing 78 bundles of notes up to a total of £390,040.
A forensic examination of the money and the boxes found that Keatings’ fingerprints were on a number of areas including the money, the boxes and the elastic bands keeping the notes together
He appeared at Falkirk Sheriff Court on 20 August where he pleaded guilty to possessing and transferring criminal property. He was sentenced to 13 months imprisonment at the same court today (19 September).
NCA Regional Head of Investigations, Ian Thomas, said:
“James Keatings moved hundreds of thousands of pounds in suspected criminal funds but what he didn’t know was OCP officers were watching his every move.
“The NCA will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to bring offenders like Keatings to justice and disrupt offenders and their criminality, wherever there is an opportunity to do so.”
Detective Chief Inspector Laura Sands, Organised Crime and Counter Terrorism Unit, said:
“This investigation underlines our commitment to the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce and the country’s Serious Organised Crime Strategy.
“We will continue to work with our partner agencies to tackle this type of criminal activity and ensure those responsible face justice.
“Information and support from the public is vital to our work and I would encourage anyone with information relating to organised crime to contact us through 101.”
19 September 2025
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