Three Russian nationals arrested at Gatwick and detained under the Terrorism Act have admitted money laundering.

Nikolaos Theodoridis, 28, Georgios Mavridis, 21, and 26-year-old Konstantinos Vasileiadis pleaded guilty to jointly possessing $34,200, £4,740 and 500 euros at the airport knowing it to have been connected with criminal activity.

A fourth man, Rawand Ali Muhamed, a 28-year-old Iraqi national living in Princes Square, London, who was arrested and detained with the trio, faced the same charge but entered no plea.

Solicitor Brian Aldred, representing Theodoridis, said he was recruited to act as a courier by a Greek man called Dimitri and was promised 300 euros, about £200, for carrying the cigarettes and returning with cash.

Jane Macdougall, representing Mavridis and Vasileiadis, described them as "young and foolish rather than criminal".

Crawley magistrates committed the trio in custody to Lewes Crown Court to be sentenced at a later date.

The case against Ali Muhamed was adjourned for a week. He was remanded in custody until a further hearing at Crawley on September 4.