A Barnsley man has been sentenced for his part in a counterfeit cigarette operation worth tens of thousands of pounds.

Danny Dougherty, aged 45, of Yews Avenue, Worsbrough Dale, was jailed for two years at Sheffield Crown Court late on Thursday afternoon, 29 July.

He had earlier pleaded guilty to a charge of being involved with others in an arrangement that facilitated the acquisition, retention, use or control of criminal property, namely cigarettes and counterfeit cigarettes.

Dougherty, and four other Barnsley residents sentenced last month, were arrested following a lengthy enquiry – dubbed Operation Liquidate – which South Yorkshire Police’s Money Laundering Investigation Team began in the summer of 2008.

Officers seized more than 2.1 million cigarettes, some of which were counterfeit and some of which had been manufactured in the Baltic area specifically for smuggling markets, during the operation.

The SYP team will now pursue confiscation proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act to ensure that offenders do not benefit from crime.