(ANSA) Milan, April 2 - A businessman carrying traditional panettone Christmas cake in his car boot at Easter raised suspicions of finance police who discovered 250,000 euros in cash stashed inside the pastry, police said Thursday.
Officers of the GICO Finance police special investigation unit found the cake after following and stopping a car with a Brescia construction industry businessman and an Italian resident in Switzerland inside.
After the discovery they searched the Brescia entrepreneur's home and found a total of some 1.2 million euros in 100 euro notes hidden in a secret compartment in the cellar under a washing machine.
The businessman was charged with illegal money recycling and was discovered to owe 300,000 euros to tax authorities, police said.
The money was seized on orders of a judge at the Brescia Tribunal together with bank deposits worth some 1.4 million euros
Police find 250,000 euros hidden in panettone
Discovery linked to money-laundering probe