He added: ‘The police investigation into the group’s activities began in January 2019 after the Bank of England had identified a new counterfeit £20 note that appeared to have been produced using the type of specialist printing equipment that would normally be associated with a company that produces large volumes of magazines or leaflets.

‘Following several months of enquiries including mobile phone analysis of those believed to have been involved in its production, a search warrant was carried out at a business premises owned by Winter in Beckenham, on Saturday 4 May 2019.

‘Inside officers found Brown and another man surrounded by printing equipment and large piles of counterfeit £20 notes, which were later confirmed as having a total face value of £5.25 million.

‘Upon his arrest, Brown told the officers “you have caught me red-handed”.’

The spokesman added: ‘A subsequent search of his home address led to the discovery of a list of names with numbers next to them that added up to £5.25million – the same value of the counterfeit notes.

‘Winter had been on holiday in America at the time his business was raided, but was arrested upon his return to the UK on Sunday 26 May 2019.

‘One of the names on the list seized from Brown’s home was “John”, which is believed to refer to John Evans.

‘Upon his arrest on Friday 13 September 2019, officers found a highly encrypted telephone that he later admitted was evidence of criminal activity despite initially denying his involvement in this particular conspiracy.

‘After all three men had been charged in relation to the conspiracy, further large amounts of counterfeit currency believed to have printed by the group’s members continued to be discovered in the months that followed.’

On October 9, 2019, a dog walker stumbled upon around £5million worth of fake banknotes dumped in Belvedere.

A further £200,940 was found scattered along the railway line between Farningham and Longfield on January 15, 2020.

Detective Chief Superintendent Morgan Cronin, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: ‘Counterfeiting directly funds organised crime and hurts the UK economy by creating losses for businesses, which ultimately affects the cost of the things we buy.

‘It also has a direct impact on those who receive fake notes in exchange for goods or services, as what they thought was genuine money is in fact worthless.

‘John Evans was one of the main players in what is believed to be the biggest conspiracy of this kind in the history of UK policing, and the length of his sentence reflects the seriousness of the crimes he committed.

‘Phillip Brown and Nick Winter also played vital roles in the operation and are also now behind bars as a result.

‘Organised criminal groups will go to great lengths to obtain expensive homes, fast cars and other luxuries they are not entitled to – even if it means printing the money required themselves.

‘This was a sophisticated operation but one that was ultimately doomed to failure due to the offenders’ mistaken belief that they could carry on undetected.

‘I hope this result sends a strong message to others that we have our eyes and ears everywhere, and that ultimately crime does not pay.’

Neil Harris, Senior Officer in the National Crime Agency’s Counterfeit Currency unit, said: ‘Serious and organised criminals damage the economic health of the UK through their efforts to line their own pockets.

‘We supported the operation which dismantled this criminal enterprise and prevented millions of pounds of counterfeit money entering the UK economy. The impact of that counterfeit money would have been felt by unsuspecting members of the public across the UK.

‘We remain focused in our work to combat illicit finances, which ultimately help fund further serious and organised crime.’