Well, Patriot Act aside, most country's police forces will stop you if you're seen to be carrying that much cash around. There really aren't many law-abiding reasons.

If it's true, then I'm guessing the case here wasn't law abiding either, and they were trying to avoid tax. That's as almost as serious in the UK as it is in the US, and can result in a jail sentence.

Edit: For my very first job after uni, I was paid for a body of work by cheque. It was a similar amount of money. I had to declare it for tax. I didn't have to pay any because my yearly income was below the threshold, but I had to declare it. Many dodgy "self-employed" in the UK will ask for cash because they know they can simply stick it in the bank and the taxman won't see it.

[ Edited by KennyR 27.03.2019 - 21:32 ]