It was a cunning plot to steal more than £1.5million in gold bullion and jewellery . Using a flat-pack wooden cabinet as a ‘ Trojan Horse ’ , one of the thieves was to hide inside . The gang then planned to put real money in a briefcase and show it to a jeweller at a pre-arranged meeting , before placing it on the floor . Then , while a price was being agreed at a nearby table , the man in the cabinet would switch the case for one containing counterfeit notes . The gang – posing as wealthy Italians – would then walk off with their money and the stolen jewellery . Scroll down for video . Jail terms : Luigi Arcuri ( left ) , 73 , Nikolic Giuliano ( centre ) , 37 and Antonino Ballistreri ( right ) , 45 , were each sentenced to two years and eight months for conspiracy to defraud and possession of counterfeit currency . The idea : They planned to put one of the men inside the desk , show the jeweller real cash in a briefcase and then switch this with an identical case containing counterfeit notes - which he would then take away . In construction : The gang posing as rich Italian businessmen built the cabinet so one of them could hide inside a large void in the middle and secretly switch a haul of Euros for fake money during a deal . Flat-pack desk : While a price was agreed , the money would be switched by the man hidden inside the cabinet for an identical brief case containing the worthless counterfeit notes . But the three men and one teenager were seized when police swooped on a conference room at a hotel in Manchester city centre – and found them assembling the cabinet . Officers suspect similar scams have been carried out across Europe , costing businesses millions of pounds . At Manchester Crown Court , Luigi Arcuri , 73 , Nikolic Giuliano , 37 , and Antonino Ballistreri , 45 , were each sentenced to two years and eight months in prison . A 17-year-old boy , who can not be named for legal reasons , was given 16 months . All admitted conspiracy to defraud and possession of counterfeit currency . The men had been negotiating the purchase of gold and gems worth £1.5million from Rockefeller ’ s in Manchester . They first contacted the shop by phone . This was followed by a visit by the teenager , who gave his name as Benjamin Berman , and Ballistreri , who called himself Mr Ferrari . Both were well-dressed and wore Rolex watches and ordered 41 high-value items including gold bullion and jewellery . Arrangements were made to meet at a hotel , where a ‘ Swiss banker ’ , who would be in possession of the cash , would be present . Cash in the draw : The quartet are suspected of being part of a larger , highly organised gang responsible for defrauding businesses across Europe out of jewellery and gold bullion worth millions of pounds . Euros seized by police : Inside a drawer , officers recovered €2.2million in counterfeit money as well as £52,000 worth of legitimate Euro notes . Police , who had been tipped off , placed the teenager and Ballistreri under surveillance and monitored them as they returned to the shop and finalised the deal . They were observed going to the Thistle Hotel near the Trafford Centre before going to a supermarket where they bought a torch to be used by the man in the cabinet . Enquiries revealed that a phone number used to contact Rockefeller ’ s was also used to contact other jewellers in the region . Detectives also discovered that in November , the 17-year-old had tried to defraud Diamond Watches in London , Classic Jewellers and Camelot Diamonds in Brighton and had attempted to launder cash in Brighton Exchange . Police swooped and arrested the gang and found 2.2 million in counterfeit euros ( around £1.5million ) as well as £52,000 of legitimate euro notes . Detective Inspector Rob Cousen of Greater Manchester Police said : ‘ This was a well-run , highly sophisticated scam . To catch them red-handed is a fantastic result as we have been able to stop them in their tracks and prevent them from committing a serious crime. ’ Caught on CCTV : Two members of the group were observed going to the Thistle Hotel near the Trafford Centre , moving the flat-pack table on a trolley ahead of assembling it in a conference room . First floor camera : The men are pictured making their way through the hotel with their kit , before setting it up in a conference room . Police swooped on the room and found them busy assembling the wooden furniture . The men outside the shop : Detectives discovered that men purporting to be Italian businessmen had been negotiating the purchase of jewellery worth €2million from Rockefeller 's jewellers ( above ) in Manchester . Grifters : The £1.5million gold bullion sting would have been worthy of the TV show Hustle , starring ( from left ) Robert Glenister , Matt Di Angelo , Adrian Lester , Rob Jarvis , Kelly Adams and Robert Vaughn .
Gang built cabinet so one of them could hide inside large void in middle . Wanted to secretly switch Euros for fake cash during deal in Manchester . Officers recovered €2.2m in counterfeit money and £52,000 of real notes . Four men aged almost ten years , 45 and 73 are jailed for total of 17 , 37 .