A Lanarkshire vodka agency linked to against the law cartel was given taxpayer-funded handouts in the course of the pandemic.
Nero Drinks Firm Restricted, run by Glasgow mum Nicola Morrissey and “enforcer” husband John, was given as much as £10,000 as a part of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
The pair are believed to run the drinks agency – which sells bottles of British-made vodka for round £30 every endorsed by celebrities – from their Spanish residence in Puerto Banus, close to the millionaires’ playground of Marbella.
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Newest data present the agency employed simply two individuals in 2020, together with director Nicola, 46.
Husband John, 62 – named an affiliate of the Kinahan Transnational Crime Organisation by US authorities final week – is a model ambassador for Nero.
Regardless of social media posts exhibiting the pair having fun with the trimmings of wealth, the agency claimed cash by means of the CJRS.
It isn't recognized how a lot as HMRC have refused to reveal any claims over a yr previous when CJRS was launched.
Nero Drinks – whose enterprise HQ is listed as a £440,000 residence in a residential road within the village of Stepps – was named a part of KTCO’s community of enterprise pursuits by US legislation enforcers who likened the crime clan to terror teams and the Italian mafia.
The US Treasury have provided a $5million reward for assist in convicting its kingpins, together with boxing promoter Daniel Kinahan.
US authorities mentioned: “John Francis Morrissey, who's at present primarily based in Spain, was designated for materially aiding, sponsoring, or offering monetary, materials, or technological help for, or items or companies to or in help of, the KTCO.
“John Morrissey has labored for the KTCO for a number of years, together with as an enforcer, and facilitates worldwide drug shipments for the organisation from South America. John Morrissey can be concerned in cash laundering.”
There is no such thing as a suggestion his spouse Nicola is below investigation or has dedicated any crime.
Nero Vodka was a sponsor of Hamilton Academical in 2019. However sources mentioned it stopped paying sponsorship. An insider mentioned: “Nero did a launch on the stadium with some glamorous fashions turning up with the Morrisseys there.
“However quickly afterwards the cash stopped coming in. It occurs in soccer.”
Scottish Tory shadow neighborhood security minister Russell Findlay mentioned: “It’s sickening that a enterprise in receipt of taxpayers’ money has since been revealed to have hyperlinks with a worldwide medication cartel and this can now presumably be checked out by HMRC.”
HMRC information confirmed Nero had been given taxpayer-funded handouts however didnt say how a lot.
Guidelines imply previous funds older than a yr have been wiped from public report.
The funding was given from February till September when the programme set as much as cease staff shedding their jobs completed.
An HMRC spokesman informed us : “We designed anti-fraud measures into the COVID help schemes from the start, and we're taking powerful motion to sort out fraudulent and prison behaviour.
“We have now blocked tens of hundreds of thousands of kilos of claims being paid out within the first place and we're utilizing the total vary of our powers to recuperate incorrectly paid claims.
“There was nobody on the Lanarkshire HQ of Nero once we visited final week.
The Morrisseys had been additionally contacted by cellphone however didn't reply.
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