Merseyside pair are jailed over £8.5m teeth-whitening tax scam that funded a £16,000 cap and plans for TEETH-shaped pools

Ian Barnes, 53, of Formby, and Alastair Ramage, 44, who had relocated to Portugal, were handed a combined sentence of eight years and ten months at Liverpool Crown Court after pleading guilty to fraud. The pair operated two offshore companies to import and sell teeth-whitening products containing dangerously high levels of hydrogen peroxide, then funnelled the proceeds through 118 bank accounts, credit cards and cryptocurrency platforms in a money-laundering operation.

WhatsApp messages showed Barnes boasting 'platinum luggage tags, that's how UK Teeth Whitening roll' — while separately acknowledging customers had lost enamel.

Ramage wrote 'we're on the first plane out of here if HMRC come knocking — we're talking millions and years in jail', proving both men knew the risk.

HMRC seized luxury watches, diamond jewellery and a solid gold bar during the investigation; more than £3.4m had been channelled through Euro Pacific Bank in Puerto Rico before its closure in 2022.