Woman Caught Smuggling £5m in cash from UK to Dubai

[Martin Everson]

Now this was not a great idea was it. Those thinking of taking large amounts of cash to Dubai better think twice cry&¤.

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A woman has pleaded guilty to money laundering offences worth over £5m after being found at Heathrow Airport with suitcases stuffed with cash.

Tara Hanlon, 30, of Pelham Court, Leeds, was arrested as she tried to board a flight to Dubai on 3 October 2020 with more than £1.9m in cash.

Appearing at Isleworth Crown Court by video-link, Hanlon admitted four of the five offences she was charged with. She was warned to prepare for a jail term when she is sentenced on 26 July.

Border officials said the find in October was the largest individual cash seizure at the UK border in 2020. Hanlon denied one charge of conspiracy to remove criminal property from England and Wales between 13 July and 4 October 2020.

However, she admitted three counts of removing criminal property, relating to cash amounts of £1.4m on 14 July, £1.1m on 10 August and £1m on 31 August 2020.

She also pleaded guilty to attempting to remove £1.9m in criminal property from the country on the day of her arrest. Prosecutor Nathan Rasiah said the charges related to three trips and the failed attempt in October. Judge Giles Curtis-Raleigh adjourned the case for sentencing on 26 July and granted Hanlon bail.

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Please note my posts should not be taken as financial or tax advice. Please seek professional advice in that respect.

 

[Mark Rucken]

So, she actually managed to smuggle lots of money in the past, God knows how‌ many times ... crazy.

 

[Martin Everson]

Exactly makes you think how much she was really moved in total. She is just‌ one person from potentially 1000's who bring cash to Dubai to launder each year.

 

[VESTANON]

Hmmm She inevitably avoided The Mentor Group membership, and there it︃ goes...cig-:,

 

[NicolasMaduro]

I assume she used private jets to smuggle the money. I assume standard airport security‌ would have checked her hand luggage when scanning her bags.

What I dont understand is‍ why she would plead guilty to previous trips. Unless they had her under surveillance for⁠ a while?

 

[troubled soul]

amature get caught easily, professional never.
Whole growth of Dubai is based on this type‌ of Activities.
Without this type of things Dubai will never grows.
That's truth.

 

[GPT]

How stupid. All it takes is one form and you avoid this bs completely.

ive personally traveled with more cash and had all custom agents of the departing, stop over‌ and destination help me move quickly through the airport.

 

[NicolasMaduro]

It doesn't just take 1 form if the money is from criminal activity 😀

 

[Martin Everson]

I don't think the cash is legit at all.

Sounds like she turned snitch and‌ in the process of snitching had to admit to the other smuggling activity ca#"!. Also‍ judging by how she looks maybe airport security was distracted by her fake a*s and⁠ took eyes of the scanning machine 😎.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/15164...ke-boasts-spending-fortune-airport-banknotes/

 

[GPT]

Actually it does...

 

[NicolasMaduro]

No. I understand some people on this‌ Forum have shared wrong information. Please go and check this. Offer your services to a‍ criminal organisation. Tell them you will transport their money. And you will just “declare it”⁠ and then their problem is solved.

if you have 2 million pounds from illegal activity⁤ all it takes is not just to fill out the form.

1. It was not⁣ her money. She was paid to transport the illegal money.
2. You cant just simply⁢ fill out a form. If you declare that you are carrying 2 million pounds, then︀ you have to declare origin of the money.
3. Do you seriously think you can︁ just leave the UK with 2 million pounds and declare it as Capital gains, lottery︂ winnings etc without the customs wanting documentation for your claims?

i cant believe theese criminals︃ are so stupid!! They Can just fill out 1 form and then they can transport︄ all their dirty money

 

[GPT]

It has happened and up until Q1 of this year it still happens.

Lets be clear; I am as surprised as you are and agree with all you say.︅ At the same time I see what happens. Specifically the last one that I am︆ aware of in Q1 2021 originated from the UK. Zero problems. One form and gone.︇

 

[bizniz]

It's kind of true about the forms, based on my experience. You might be "unlucky"‌ enough to get a bureaucrat who thinks, but most of the time government employees just‍ want to follow instructions and avoid work. If the form is properly completed they just⁠ accept it for filing and let you go on your way. In many European airports⁤ (not sure about UK) you can actually comply with this obligation just by dropping the⁣ form in a mailbox, or you can fill out an online declaration, so you don't⁢ ever have to talk to anybody in the airport but you are covered if they︀ ask you. Still, I would not try it with such large amounts.

 

[uplana]

yeah that was where she failed 😀

Do what you mean is, she had just a bad⁤ day and were on the wrong place at the wrong time ?

 

[Praetorian]

They have a million ways to get cash out of the country, this was︅ just one of them. The fact that they are willing to risk that much cash︆ for a single trip shows they have significant means to begin with, so it was︇ probably a slap on the wrist for them lol.

Once the cash lands there, it︈ doesn't need laundering. Plenty of banks in Dubai who will accept the deposits without asking︉ questions. The hardest part for them is smuggling it out. Factor in the lack of︊ proper laundering process (No taxes nor commissions paid) and that was probably the equivalent of︋ risking it being seized by customs. So out of 60-80m yearly (Rough estimate considering those︌ entities use multiple corridors to smuggle money out), probably 2-5m gets seized. So it's around︍ the same amount lost with no laundering involved, making the risk worth while for them.︎ Border customs think they won the lotto but they really just hit the tip of️ the iceberg.

 

[PaulKruger]

It must be worth it and a lot of money⁠ that enters the Dubai borders each day.

Corona must have paused it a little but⁤ they for sure work on moving cash into Dubai again at the time I write⁣ this.

 

[Martin Everson]

Think people had moved to crypto in the interim

 

[JackAlabama]

Crypto is less suitable for these kind of activities (data confirms that indeed) and you‍ need technical skills whereas if you have said skills it is easy to make money⁠ in a broad range of fields and you don't have to engage in such high⁤ risk activities. Cash is still the name of the game as the Afghani president also⁣ proved 😉

https://www.forbes.com/sites/hailey...rrative-of-bitcoins-role-in-illicit-activity/

 

[Wellington]

Shocking she thought she'd get away with it lol, carrying British notes when there's 500‌ euro notes also lol

 

[Martin Everson]

That report seems to be a joke...lol. It's looking⁣ at data from transaction linked to known criminal entities...lol doh948"".
The fact that millions of⁢ people in China, Nigeria etc are all using crypto to circumvent government capital control is︀ in itself criminal activity. There is a good reason China and Nigeria banned clamped︁ down on crypto 🙄.