A crime family and their associates have been jailed for flying millions of pounds of dirty money from the UK to Dubai in suitcases. Heather Jeffrey, 58, received a six-and-a-half-year sentence while her daughter Lamara Noel, 34, was given five years at Bolton Crown Court on Friday (October 2). Devanyl Graham, 27, from Dewsbury, was handed a six-year term.
The trio formed part of a criminal network that smuggled nearly £30 million from the UK to the United Arab Emirates.
Other sentences and pending cases
Sophie Logan, 31, formerly of Derby, received seven-and-a-half years, while Ben Royle, 32, from London, was given four years and three months. Sheikh Jobe, 33, from Manchester, was handed a six-month sentence, suspended for two years. He must complete 200 hours of community service and comply with a three-month curfew, reports Yorkshire Live.
Jeffrey's son, Sheldan Noel, 30, also from Bradford, awaits sentencing on November 27. Former Emirates check-in attendant Emma Rauf, 34, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, faces sentencing from October 29.
How the smuggling operation worked
NCA branch commander Jon Hughes stated: "This crime group smuggled enormous quantities of cash, to remove it from the attention of law enforcement. Illicit cash is the lifeblood of organised crime groups, fuelling violence and insecurity around the world. This is why disrupting its supply is a priority for the NCA and our partners, hitting crime groups in the pocket where it hurts the most."
A National Crime Agency (NCA) probe uncovered that the group operated alongside a British ringleader based in Dubai. Between December 2017 and November 2019, the gang transported the illicit funds on Emirates flights departing from Manchester, Birmingham and Brussels airports.
The alleged mastermind, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is currently awaiting extradition to the UK to stand trial. He instructed his associates to collect cash from organised crime groups and transport it to the UAE without declaring it upon departure, as is required by law.
The funds were gathered from criminal networks across northern England, spanning Sheffield, Huddersfield, Manchester, Liverpool and Southport.
Couriers' activities and the collapse
Couriers concealed hundreds of thousands of pounds at a time within clothing, hidden across as many as five suitcases. Once in Dubai, they were treated to stays in luxury hotels, with meals and visits to exclusive nightclubs and beach clubs all covered.
Jeffrey, Sheldan Noel and Lamara Noel gathered cash from organised crime groups before flying it out to Dubai. Across ten trips each, Jeffrey smuggled out £5 million, Sheldan Noel £5.4 million and Lamara Noel £2.5 million.
The alleged organiser communicated with the trio via a WhatsApp group, with messages revealing that Jeffrey was directed to collect cash from Huddersfield and Sheffield in May 2018.
Graham made 18 trips to Dubai, declaring a total of £4 million in cash upon arrival. Logan stated she served as the alleged ringleader's personal assistant. Over two years, she made 38 return trips to Dubai, declaring £3.9 million in cash upon arrival on 14 separate occasions.
The operation began to collapse after £788,455 in cash was confiscated at UK airports on three distinct dates, triggering the NCA inquiry.
Couriers were at times assisted by Rauf, Royle's sister, who was employed at Manchester Airport. She waved through luggage stuffed with cash at the check-in desk, even when it exceeded the weight limit, and instructed colleagues to do likewise during shifts she wasn't present for.
When a courier was intercepted by Border Force and their cash seized, she made enquiries to help fellow couriers evade detection. She also made seven return trips to the UAE herself over seven months, phoning in sick to work.
In October 2018, Rauf and Royle gathered £406,500 in illicit cash and left it in the boot of her car on her parents' driveway in Hale, Altrincham. A thief broke into the vehicle and made off with the money, prompting the alleged organiser to demand the pair take lie detector tests to prove they hadn't taken it.
A gunman subsequently opened fire on her parents' home. A single bullet pierced the front door, while several more shattered the living room window, one tearing through a sofa before embedding itself in the wall. Fortunately, nobody was inside. The attack came after the criminal who owned the stolen money threatened to kill whoever had taken it.
Royle enlisted his mate Jobe to smuggle £306,040 in cash through Manchester Airport back in October 2018. The stash was discovered hidden in Jobe's checked luggage, leading to his immediate arrest.
Following a 12-week trial, a jury found Graham, Jeffrey, Lamara Noel, Sheldan Noel and Logan guilty on June 4. Rauf switched her plea to guilty on March 23, having originally contested the charge, while Royle and Jobe had already admitted their involvement prior to the trial.
