A gang has been found guilty of laundering more than £42 million.
Members of the 16-strong mob smuggled cash out of Britain to the UAE.
It’s thought the money came from people smuggling and dealing in Class A drugs.
More than £15 million was seized.
However, National Crime Agency (NCA) investigators believe – after analysing hundreds of flights and bank deposits in Dubai – the sums ran into the tens of millions.
In November 2019, following weeks of surveillance, communications and flight data analysis, officers moved in to make arrests.
Gang ringleader Charan Singh, 44, from Hounslow, was among those detained in a series of early morning raids across west London.
Investigators were able to prove that Singh, who was formerly resident in the UAE, paid for flights to Dubai for other members of the network so they could carry cash.
He also kept a ledger showing how much had been transported and when.
It showed that at least 58 trips to Dubai were made by Singh and his couriers during 2017 alone.
Further arrests followed and those charged were prosecuted in two trials at Croydon Crown Court, starting in January 2023.
The first trial saw six people, including Singh, found guilty of money laundering offences.
Two defendants were additionally convicted for facilitating illegal immigration along with a third individual.
Midway through the second trial six defendants changed their plea to guilty in relation to money laundering offences.
As a result, reporting restrictions on the case were lifted on Friday 5 May.
All 16 convicted are due to be sentenced in a hearing starting on September 11th, 2023, including two individuals who entered guilty pleas for money laundering offences prior to the two trials.
NCA senior investigating officer Chris Hill said:
“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.”
