A woman has been sentenced to 34 months in prison after attempting to smuggle nearly £2m in cash through Heathrow Airport. Tara Hanlon, 30, from Leeds, pleaded guilty at Isleworth Crown Court in June to money laundering offences totalling more than £5m.
Hanlon was arrested on 3 October 2020 as she tried to board a flight to Dubai with five suitcases containing over £1.9m in vacuum-packed bundles. The cash was hidden under coffee in an apparent attempt to evade detection by sniffer dogs. Border officials described it as the largest individual cash seizure at the UK border in 2020.
The court heard that Hanlon had made three previous trips as a courier in July and August 2020, carrying a total of £3.5m in cash. She was paid about £3,000 per trip. In text messages, she boasted of the earnings, calling the job a 'perfect life'.
Defence lawyer Stephen Grattage argued that Hanlon was vulnerable following her mother's sudden death and being furloughed due to the pandemic. However, Judge Karen Holt stated that Hanlon knew what she was doing and was not exploited.
