Abdulla Alfalasi, 47, an Emirati national, recruited dozens of couriers in his role at the helm of the gang. In total they smuggled more than £100m of dirty cash from the UK to Dubai between April 2019 and November 2020. He was jailed for nine years and seven months after the “significant network” of criminals was exposed following an arrest at Heathrow Airport in October 2020. Couriers were paid £3,000-£8,000 at a time. A total of 83 trips were made, with couriers carrying up to £500,000 in each suitcase. The cases were filled with coffee grounds or air fresheners in an attempt to fool the sniffer dogs. Alfalasi’s company, Omnivest Gold Trading, was used as a cover for the cash statements in Dubai. Dirty money came from sources such as organized crime and drug trafficking. Judge Davies, at Isleworth crown court in west London, said: “There is no doubt that this was a significant network under your responsibility, not only you, you were the mastermind, but clearly others were involved. You were involved in facilitating the removal of a huge amount of cash from this country through Heathrow Airport, Dubai. 47-year-old Abdullah Alfalasi was the leader of the gang. Photo: NCA/PA “You used yourself on a number of occasions as well as a network of 36 hired couriers who were paid approximately £3,000 plus expenses per trip and covered by a letter from a company you had a close relationship with… to commission this criminal enterprise with veiled cloak of legality’. The gang was exposed when a recruitment consultant, Tara Hanlon, 31, was stopped at Heathrow on October 3, 2020, carrying notes totaling £1.9 million in vacuum bags. She admitted smuggling a further £3.5m out of the country and was jailed for three years. About a month later, a Czech national, Zdenek Kamaryt, 39, was arrested as he tried to board a flight from Heathrow to Dubai with £1.3 million in cash in his bags. He was sentenced to two years and 10 months. Alfalasi personally transported a total of 6 million pounds in 10 trips before recruiting the mules network. He was arrested in a Belgravia flat on December 14 last year while visiting London. John Werhun, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “This is one of the biggest money laundering cases the CPS has ever dealt with. A colossal amount of dirty money, totaling £104 million, was flown to Dubai under Alfalasi’s instructions.” The prosecutor, Julian Christopher QC, said Alfalasi recruited couriers, “usually young people attracted by money”, to travel on business class flights, making use of the extra baggage allowance. Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST The suitcases, weighing up to 40kg, were also filled with mouthwash and hangers in an attempt to fool X-ray machines. The couriers declared the money at customs on arrival in Dubai, before returning home with the empty bags shortly after. The National Crime Agency (NCA) said it was believed to be the biggest cash-laundering conspiracy ever brought to justice in the UK. Senior investigating officer Ian Truby said: “Cash is the lifeblood of organized crime groups, which they reinvest in activities such as drug trafficking, which fuels violence and insecurity around the world.” Alfalasi’s couriers included Nicola Esson, 55, from Leeds, who was arrested following NCA raids in May 2021, and Muhammad Ilyas, 29, from Slough, who was arrested in February 2020. And the two pleaded guilty to taking criminal property and are awaiting arraignment. Michelle Clarke, a British woman who allegedly helped recruit the mules, is believed to still be in Dubai and wanted by the NCA.
