Jun.25, 2010, 5:54PM

A Sydney woman will serve at least three-and-a-half years in prison after being convicted of laundering more than $1.9 million.

Trang Thi Phuong Nguyen, 54, was sentenced in Sydney's District Court on Friday after pleading guilty to using her money transfer business to launder the funds between November 2007 and January 2008.

"The court found that Nguyen divided the money into amounts of less than $10,000, which was then transferred to beneficiaries in Vietnam using a series of false names," the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) said in a statement.

Judge Robert Sorby sentenced Nguyen to a full term of five years and six months, but she will be eligible for parole after three-and-a-half years.

"(Friday's) sentence sends a clear message that attempts to circumvent Australia's laws on money laundering will be severely dealt with," ACC chief executive John Lawler said in a statement.

The ACC estimates that more than $6 billion in illicit funds leaves Australia each year.