FLASH
Shkruar nga Margot Patrick
Most airports around the world, including those in the US, do not scan passengers' luggage to track cash, as this is a costly procedure in equipment and personnel. On the other hand, countries where all cash is welcome have no obligation to report suitcases full of cash coming from abroad.
In August 2020, Jo-Emma Larvin was pulling a trolley full of suitcases at London's Heathrow Airport. After arriving at the relevant counter, he handed over his passport to an Emirates Airline agent for a flight to Dubai.
Larvin was traveling in business class with another woman, and together they placed 7 heavy suitcases in the automatic transport line. She exchanged some messages with her boyfriend at this time. "Do you feel well?" he asked. "Yes" - answered Larvin. The suitcases contained millions of dollars worth of British pounds wrapped in rubber bands and packed in plastic bags.
The money went to an international money launderer, who in return charged his clients a high fee to exchange the cash for gold or other currencies. His favorite route was to Dubai from Heathrow, the world's first and second busiest airports for international passengers respectively.
The UK requires passengers to tell customs authorities if they are leaving the country with more than $10,000. But Larvin did not, risking arrest. The seven suitcases entered Heathrow's baggage handling system and passed through a 3-D scanner that checked only for explosives and other potentially dangerous items.
The next morning, both women took their suitcases back to Dubai without encountering too many problems: Any amount of money is allowed in the United Arab Emirates, as long as it is officially declared. The women followed the signs at customs and told authorities they were carrying an amount equal to 2.8 million pounds in pounds.
Most airports around the world, including those in the US, do not scan passengers' luggage to track cash, as this is a costly procedure in equipment and personnel. On the other hand, countries where all cash is welcome have no obligation to report suitcases full of cash coming from abroad.
Under this environment, billions of dollars in cash leave Britain for less regulated countries, law enforcement officials say. According to estimates, money launderers inject more than $2 trillion in proceeds from illegal enterprises into global financial systems every year. International passengers alone are likely to carry hundreds of billions of dollars in cash, according to data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Financial Action Task Force, an intergovernmental agency that develops anti-money laundering standards. for countries.
One of the reasons for this massive air smuggling is that the punishment and scandals on clients involved in money laundering have prompted many banks around the world to report suspicious transactions. "Today you cannot enter a bank with a lot of money in your hands, without being marked as suspicious. You will probably be arrested in the next branch" - says George Voloshin, from ACAMS, an institute for professionals in the fight against financial crime.
A spokesman for the British government told us that officials at customs do their best to stop smuggling, while a spokesman for Heathrow airport declined to comment on security equipment and practices. Meanwhile, the spokesman of the Emirates Airline company said that the case in question is the responsibility of the authorities from where the money originated.
A United Arab Emirates official said work is being done to combat illicit financial flows, including sharing confidential data between authorities and joint operations with the United Kingdom. Officials and airline industry groups said smuggling cash through their airlines poses a relatively low risk to the people involved.
Larvin and her boyfriend were among dozens of suspected smugglers working for a money launderer from the United Arab Emirates. Authorities believe they transported a total of $125 million, mostly from July to October 2020.
"How the hell did they get through so much money in such a short time?" asked Ian Truby, an investigator at the UK's National Crime Agency. One of the answers he gives is the fact that airport security is not about crime detection but only about flight safety.
Just 3 weeks later, Larvin left for Heathrow with her boyfriend and several million dollars more in 8 suitcases. Her boyfriend was worried about attracting attention with so much luggage. This story is based on documents and evidence released by UK authorities, court filings that included text messages and photos, court testimony from money couriers, and interviews with investigators and people familiar with the case.
Abdulla Alfalasi started smuggling money from Heathrow to Dubai around 2017. He expanded the activity during the pandemic. On New Year's Day 2020, Alfalasi left Heathrow with 11 bags, weighing a total of 210kg, and reported to Dubai $850,000.
He revealed to a former colleague that he had connections to the royal family. His father-in-law ran Dubai airport customs from when it was just a shed with a desk. As director general of aviation, he transformed this airport into a global hub.
Po atë muaj, Alfalasi i dërgoi mesazhe Michelle Clarke, një asistenteje ekzekutive në një kompani të madhe, e cila synonte të zhvendosej në Dubai me fëmijët dhe bashkëshortin e saj, një ish-futbollist profesionist. Alfalasi i dërgoi asaj një biletë për një fluturim natën nga Heathrow në Dubai, dhe për t'u kthyer në të njëjtën ditë.
Ajo kishte në celular foton e një letre që e autorizonte të mbante paratë për një kompani në pronësi të Alfalasit. Kur mbërriti në Dubai, Alfalasi e udhëzoi atë në mesazhe me tekst dhe mesazhe zanore për të raportuar paratë në një zyrë të aeroportit dhe i tha se po priste jashtë.
Ajo udhëtoi edhe 3 herë të tjera në shkurt 2020 dhe Alfalasi rekrutoi më pas korrierë të tjerë.
Në korrik 2020, Clarke i dërgoi mesazh një mikeshe, duke i thënë asaj se i duheshin 12 persona për të punuar. Kriteret e punës: Mos fol me njeri, beso dhe ji i besueshëm dhe i përshtatshëm për punën!!!”. Një mik e vuri Clarke në kontakt me Larvin, duke thënë se Clarke punonte për ambasadën e Emirateve të Bashkuara Arabe.
Gratë u takuan për një kafe. Clarke i tregoi Larvin certifikatat e vulosura që do të mbante si korriere dokumentesh dhe i ofroi 3000 paund, ose rreth 3.750 dollarë, për transportin e valixheve. Po ashtu, Clarke do të paguante që Larkin të qëndronte në një resort derisa të kthehej në shtëpi me çantat bosh.
Por në tetor 2020, dy gra të tjera nuk qenë dhe aq me fat. Ato u morën në pyetje në Heathrow nga oficerët e Forcave Kufitare. Njëra nga gratë u tha atyre se kishte marrë 5 valixhe me rroba për në Dubai, pasi nuk ishte e sigurt se çfarë të vishte. Valixhet u shkarkuan nga avioni. Ato përmbanin gati 2 milionë paund apo rreth 2.4 milionë dollarë.
Përveç arrestimit të 2 grave, autoritetet identifikuan nga kamerat një grua tjetër, pjesëtare të grupit të kontrabandës. Hetuesit kontrolluan telefonin e njërës prej grave, dhe nga të dhënat që gjetën atje, zbuluan se operacioni i pastrimit të parave të Alfalasit kishte 36 korrierë ndërkombëtarë.
Në dhjetor 2020, Clarke u arrestua me rreth 9 milionë dollarë ar në një avion privat në Zanzibar, në brigjet e Tanzanisë. Autoritetet britanike arrestuan 8 korrierë të tjerë të dyshuar në maj 2021. Shtatë muaj më vonë, Alfalasi vizitoi Londrën me gruan dhe fëmijët e tij. Ai po qëndronte në një apartament në pronësi të familjes së gruas së tij në Belgraviak, kur në derë trokiti policia.
Ai u arrestua dhe iu sekuestruan 3 telefona celularë, nga të cilët u zbardhën detaje të tjera të operacioneve të tij. Alfalasi u deklarua fajtor në qershor 2022 për pastrim parash dhe u dënua me 9 vjet e 7 muaj burg. Clarke është nën hetim në Dubai për pastrim parash.
Three of the other couriers were sentenced to prison and one was acquitted. A courier who transported 5 million dollars in August 2020 killed himself. Authorities said his phone contained texts detailing the operation. Larvin and Johnson pleaded guilty to money laundering last year. /Adapted Pamphlet, taken from "Wall Street Journal"
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