The son of ‘Britain’s richest Gypsy’ has had nearly £100,000 seized after sales of suspected “stolen or dubious” Rolex watches.

Alfie Best Jnr, who made the under 30 rich list in 2021 in 85th place, has had the money taken from two frozen bank accounts after a court order was secured against him.

Durham Police began probing the boxer and reality TV star’s affairs through his luxury watch-selling firm after two scrap metal companies with Darlington links, suspected to have been set up to launder money, bought watches worth £940,000 from his company, Peterlee Magistrates Court heard.

Best, 27, was expected to appear before the court yesterday (Tuesday, July 30) morning to contest an application for money in two frozen bank accounts to be seized, but he did not attend. Just hours earlier he posted a snap on Instagram from a golf course in Berkshire.

Prosecutor Mr Paul Clerk said: “We came this morning expecting an argument. When I didn’t see any Rolls Royces outside I suspected people were not coming up from London. I have found out that the application has been withdrawn.”

Best, whose address is listed in court papers as London Road in West Thurrock, revealed last year he had converted to Islam and has  £10m fortune, according to reports in The Sun.

Financial investigator Mr John Foreman told the court: “Over a year I have investigated a number of companies that we believe have just been set up just to launder cash from scrap metal.

“There was no real trading expenditure, no wages, anything of that nature – immediately you could quite clearly see the purchases of high value watches or gold in some instances.”

He told how, HRT Trading LTD and North Yorks Recycling LTD, both bought watches from Alfie Best Jnr’s watch-selling firm The Best Kettles Limited. The Echo understands both waste firms have links to Darlington.

Mr Foreman continued: “On further examination you could quite clearly see watches being purchased from The Best Kettles Limited.”

He told Peterlee Magistrates Court he found evidence of £940,000 of watches being bought between HRT and North Yorks Recycling from The Best Kettles.

Peterlee Magistrates' Court.Peterlee Magistrates' Court.

Best Jnr is sole director of The Best Kettles LTD, according to Companies House, with its office registered in London’s Hatton Garden. Kettle is said to be cockney rhyming slang for a watch.

“I started to look at Best Kettles’ accounts and the bank submitted a suspicious activity report outlining their suspicions along with mine that there was simply money laundering going on.

“He (Alfie Jnr) couldn’t produce to me any serial numbers for the valuable watches or where they originated from.

“Two watches worth £140,000 were sent to North Yorks Recycling. His paperwork does not note any indications to the serial numbers of the Rolexs which we believe were either stolen or from dubious sources. I asked him to produce evidence of serial numbers to no avail.

“The money that was received by The Best Kettles was also put into Best Park Homes LTD. Best Park Homes, on the admission of Mr Best, leant money to The Best Kettles to buy the watches.

“The money within was there to be used to further criminality, to purchase watches from dubious sources.”

Best Jnr is also the sole director of Best Park Homes Limited.

Chair of the bench, Lorraine Overton, said: “We accept that the property is recoverable and has been intended for unlawful use.

“We believe that these monies should be forfeited in the interests of justice.”

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The order relates to two accounts holding £97,929.24 - a HSBC account holding £3,297.71, and an account of Best Park Homes Limited holding £94,631.76.

An application was also made for Best Jnr to pay £650 in costs.

The Best family came in as the 174th richest in Britain according to the Sunday Times Rich List. His dad Alfie Best Snr made his fortune building 100 mobile home parks across Britain, including sites in Chester-le-Street, Seaton Carew and Wooler.

Alfie Best Jnr previously appeared in My Big Fat Gypsy Fortune, Rich Kids Go Shopping, and ITV reality show Absolutely Ascot in 2018.