Three women are among gang of 16 people-traffickers who smuggled migrants into Britain and sneaked £42M of drug cash to Dubai in global money laundering operation
- Group made hundreds of trips to the UAE between 2017 and 2019
- Police seized £1.5 million from the crook’s cronies leaving the UK
- But flight analysis and cash declarations suggest they transported far more
A gang of 16 people smugglers sneaked £42million in cash out of the UK to Dubai as part of a money laundering operation to hide drug dealing profits.
The crew were discovered to be smuggling migrants into Britain and millions of pounds out of the country, believed to be profits from selling class A drugs and the cash taken from refugees.
The gang made hundreds of trips to the UAE between 2017 and 2019, including 58 trips to Dubai in 2017 alone.
Around £1.5 million was seized from the crook’s cronies leaving the UK but flight analysis and cash declarations in Dubai suggested the group successfully transported far more, police said.
Pinky Kapur (left), Amarjeet Alabadis (middle) and Louise Smith (right) were the only women among the gang of 16 who sneaked £42million in cash out of the UK to Dubai.
Gang ringleader Charan Singh (left), 44, and Valjeet Singh (right), 34, were found guilty of conspiring to remove criminal property – known as money laundering. Valjeet Singh was also found guilty on four counts of removing criminal property.
Around £1.5 million was seized from the crook’s cronies leaving the UK but flight analysis and cash declarations in Dubai suggested the group successfully transported far more, according to police.
The same gang tried to smuggle 17 migrants – including five children and a pregnant woman – into the UK in 2019 hidden in the back of a van carrying tyres.
Dutch police intercepted the van before it could reach a ferry at the Hook of Holland, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.
After weeks of surveillance officers pounced on the defendants to carry out dawn raids across west London, including gang ringleader Charan Singh, 44, from Hounslow.
NCA investigators proved Singh, formally a resident of the UAE, paid for flights to Dubai for other gang members to carry cash.
During the first trial at Croydon Crown Court, six people, including Singh, were found guilty of money laundering offences.
Two of that six were also found guilty of facilitating illegal immigration, another defendant only received an immigration charge.
Midway through the second trial six defendants changed their plea to guilty for the money laundering offences, leading to reporting restrictions being lifted on Friday (May 5).
A further two gang members pleaded guilty before trial, according to the NCA.
Jackdar Kapoor (left) and Diljan Singh Malhotra (right), 47. Singh Malhotra was found guilty of conspiring to facilitate a breach of immigration law.
Joe Round (left) and Jasbeer Malhotra (right).
Manmon Kapur (left), Jaginder Singh Kapoor (middle) and Mircea Denes (right). Mr Denes was found guilty of conspiring to facilitate a breach of immigration law in his absence having absconded.
Chris Hill, NCA senior investigating officer, said today: ‘This has been a long and complex investigation into an organised crime group involved in money laundering on a commercial scale and organised immigration crime.
‘Over a two-year period, working together with partners in the UK and abroad, NCA investigators were able to uncover the evidence to secure these convictions.
‘This case demonstrates the continued commitment by the NCA to protect the public and target the criminal networks involved in both people smuggling and money laundering.
‘We will continue to use the full range of tactics at our disposal to disrupt and dismantle them.’
Along with seven other defendants, Singh was found guilty of conspiring to remove criminal property – known as money laundering.
Sundar Vengadassalam, 48, (left) and Swander Singh Dhal (right), 37 were both found guilty of removing criminal property. Mr Singh Dhal was also found guilty of conspiring to facilitate a breach of immigration law.
Jasbir Singh Kapoor (left), 35, and Jasbir Singh Dhal, 32, (right) were both found guilty of conspiring to remove criminal property.
Valjeet Singh, 34, from Hounslow, was found guilty of conspiring to remove criminal property, four counts of removing criminal property, but not guilty of two separate counts of removing criminal property.
Swander Singh Dhal, 37, Hounslow, was found guilty of conspiring to remove criminal property, and conspiring to facilitate a breach of immigration law, but he was cleared of a separate count of conspiring to remove criminal property.
Jasbir Singh Kapoor, 35, Hayes, west London, was found guilty of two counts conspiring to remove criminal property, but not guilty of conspiring to facilitate a breach of immigration law.
Jasbir Singh Dhal, 32, from Southall, west London, was found guilty of conspiring to remove criminal property.
Diljan Singh Malhotra, 47, from Uxbridge, west London, was cleared of two counts of conspiring to remove criminal property, but found guilty of conspiring to facilitate a breach of immigration law.
Mircea Denes, 45, previously of Northolt was found guilty of conspiring to facilitate a breach of immigration law in his absence having absconded.
Sundar Vengadassalm, 48, from Southall, was found guilty of removing criminal property, but cleared of five separate counts of removing criminal property.
All 16 defendants are due to be sentenced at the same court from September this year.
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