‘Useful Idiot’ Jailed Over London-Dubai Cash Smuggling (1)

The ringleader of one of the UK’s largest money laundering operations was jailed for nine years and seven months after investigators caught couriers smuggling suitcases packed with bags of cash flying to Dubai.

Abdullah Mohammed Ali Bin Beyat Alfalasi arranged for a network of couriers to fly £104 million ($127 million) of street cash to Dubai over nearly two years through to October 2020, the National Crime Agency said. Alfalasi pleaded guilty earlier this month.

The couriers were given business class flights to take advantage of a larger luggage allowance and check-in closer to the departure time, investigators said. Around ...