text: 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 cannot 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 .
target: 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 17, 37, 45 and 73 are jailed for total of almost ten years .