Tuesday, 9 May 2023
16 people, including a number of people from Hounslow, have been convicted of international money laundering and people smuggling.
Members of the network smuggled in excess of £42 million in
cash out of the UK, making hundreds of trips to Dubai between 2017 and
2019.
NCA investigators believe the money was profit from the sale
of class A drugs and organised immigration crime.
Around £1.5 million was seized from couriers leaving the UK
but flight analysis, evidence from cash declarations in Dubai, and other
material seized by the NCA showed the group had succeeded in transporting far
more.
As part of the investigation NCA officers also uncovered a
plot involving members of the OCG to smuggle 17 migrants, including five
children and a pregnant woman, into the UK in the back of a van carrying tyres in
2019.
The van was intercepted by Dutch police, who were working
with the NCA, before it could reach a ferry at the Hook of Holland.
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 this year.
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 the 5th of May.
All 16 convicted are due to be sentenced at a hearing
starting in September, 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.”
Tackling organised immigration crime remains a top priority
for the NCA, the agency has more than 90 ongoing investigations into networks
or individuals in the top tier of organised immigration crime or human
trafficking – the highest harm."
posted by Radio Jackie News Team @ 4:43 pm