Mohammed Afran, 30, owned a fleet of vehicles which he deceptively obtained and would hire out order to carry out crime, police said.

At one point he had 21 illegally obtained cars on his books.

However in 2009, acting on tip-offs, police in Birmingham launched an investigation and discovered that Afran and his accomplice, 31-year-old Mohammed Salam, both from the Washwood Heath area, were making over 5 000 pounds a month from their illegal company.

Birmingham Crown Court heard how when the vehicles used in crime were seized by the police, Afran and Salam would then have the nerve to report them as stolen. Throughout all of this, the two men were on unemployment benefit.

The investigation culminated in a series of search warrants which were executed at five addresses in March 2010 in conjunction with the Department of Work & Pensions (DWP) and the two men were arrested.

More than 55 000 pounds was recovered, as well as an accounts book listing the transactions in the illegal businesses - written in the rear of Afran’s step-daughter’s school book, to evade detection.

Afran admitted laundering over 90 000 pounds, perverting the course of justice and fraud, as well as DWP offences. Salam was given a 12-month community order.