Dubai 'Girls' Trips': The Glamorous Front for Millions in Smuggled Cash

AS Tara Hanlon checked her phone while she waited patiently for her flight from Heathrow to Dubai, customs officials pounced. But what had sparked their interest in the 30-year-old Kim Kardashian lookalike? Turns out it was the FIVE whopping suitcases she was dragging behind her – far too many for the ‘girl’s trip’ she claimed she was about embark upon. Advertisement When officials searched her, they found the cases stuffed with bags of cash totalling £1.9m. And Tara eventually pleaded guilty to money laundering offences totaling more than £5m after cops discovered she’d undertaken three similar trips previously. She’s just one of a growing number of women lured into a life of crime that can be way more lucrative than a regular 9-5 grind – but with far deeper consequences. Official figures show cases are surging as criminals turn to social media to lure people into becoming “money mules”. Further research last year found a shocking one in five Brits claims to have been approached to launder money. Experts say while serious organised crime is male dominated, women are undoubtedly involved – whether that is being recruited to becoming ‘money mules’ either via social media, romance or job scams, to being the criminal masterminds behind complex multi-billion pound schemes. It seems some women also want a lucrative slice of the pie, lured in by luxury trips and a lifestyle from ill-gotten gains that they could only previously dream of. Advertisement From models to recruitment consultants, women from all walks of life are risking their freedom for seemingly quick – but illegal – cash. Meanwhile others are being coerced and controlled into becoming money mules by online scammers. Security expert James Bore explained: “We don’t have any good evidence that women are becoming more criminal, but there is evidence that they are more visible in certain roles – particular ones like money laundering.” James, who works in anti-fraud and anti-money laundering, said the fact that women are seen as low risk by the authorities makes them highly attractive targets for criminal gangs. “Criminal networks actively and knowingly exploit trust. Women are often seen as lower-risk by authorities and financial institutions, and the criminals are well aware of this. “That makes women more attractive as couriers, money mules, or account holders. In some cases they may be exploited or coerced – particularly in romance-scam or boyfriend recruitment models. “In other cases, they are fully aware and active participants with their own motivations. “We’ve got cases of women running sophisticated laundering operations, and of women being groomed, pressured, or otherwise coerced into taking risks to shield others. Both are very real possibilities.” Rising threat A shocking number of Brits are being caught up in “money mule” scams, with research by Virgin Money from May last year finding that as many as one in five people claimed to have been approached to help illegally launder money. It found that 21 per cent of them had been asked to receive funds to their bank, apply for a loan in someone else’s name, or open a new account, all with the promise of money. Advertisement The shocking stats show just how widespread money laundering and financial crime is in the UK, with suitcases stuffed with cash just the tip of the iceberg. Greed has often proved to be the cause of the downfall. In Tara’s case, the court heard that she’d claimed it was the first trip she had ever taken, she wasn’t being paid and she believed it to be legal as the money would be declared in Dubai. But investigations found she had made three previous trips and had been paid £3000 a time. Text messages revealed in court she’d told a friend: “Three big ones… with this wage and the next my debts go bye.” Other messages referred to the job as a “perfect life, a few days in the sun and a few at home”. Hanlon was jailed for 34 months in 2021. She was part of a glamorous group of women who were part of an operation that saw more than £100million smuggled in suitcases to Dubai. Advertisement African gold It is believed that money smuggled to Dubai is spent on African gold or crypto currency to “wash” it. Masterminding the plot was UAE national Abdulla Alfalasi, who recruited a number of other women with no criminal records so as to avoid raising suspicions. That included former glamour model Jo-Emma Larvin, the ex-girlfriend of boxing legend Joe Calzaghe, who narrowly avoided jail after making two trips to the Middle Eastern state, including with her partner Jonathan Johnson. Another was Beatrice Auty, who was arrested following NCA raids in May 2021, travelled from Heathrow to Dubai twice in July and August of that year, checking in seven suitcases containing £3.4 million. She was jailed for 42 months. Meanwhile, Nicola Esson, 56, from Leeds, and Stacey Borg, 41, of Pudsey, West Yorkshire, were arrested in May 2021. Another, 20-year old Muhammed Illyas from Slough, was caught after one of his four cases went missing, only to be picked up by Border Force officers who found more than £400,000 inside. One suspect, a 30-year old from Leeds, started working as a courier after losing his job in the NHS. Advertisement He was found hanged in his home in August 2020, not long after taking a trip to Dubai that saw him swim in a pool at a 5-star-hotel. The couriers, who were paid around £3,000 for each trip and would be booked on business class flights due to the extra luggage allowance, communicated on a WhatsApp group entitled ’Sunshine and lollipops’. The money was then vacuum packed and separated into suitcases which would typically each contain around £500,000, weighing around 40 kilos. Ringleader Abdullah Alfalasi, 48, was jailed for more than nine years in July 2022. Yet the problem is a long way from going away. Former Metropolitan Police officer Peter Bleksley said that soft sentences for those responsible could be to blame. He said: “It’s a growing phenomenon, whether it’s money they’re ferrying around or drugs. “We’ve seen plenty of these cases highlighted recently, and there’s just no deterrent. The sentences they’re getting are pathetic. “Unfortunately, the sentences are not reflecting the very serious criminality that these people are playing a significant role in, and the damage that it does not only to our economy but our wider society.” A crowded employment market and the cost of living squeeze has pushed Brits towards fake job opportunities and “get rich quick” schemes advertised online. Advertisement With accounts posting photos of expensive cars, luxury holidays, and wads of cash, the promise of easy money seems very real. And with no initial indications of criminality, ordinary people are open to letting themselves get sucked in. Recruiters will also pose as friends with shared interests, grooming them into handing over banking details that can then be used to handle dirty money. One young victim told a newspaper how, at 19, he was lured into one of these scams when he came across a post on social media that said: “Do you want to make quick money today?” next to photos promoting a life of wealth and luxury. Enticed by this offer, he got in touch with them and was connected with a recruiter. He handed over his bank details and ID. The money arrived in his account, but when trying to withdraw it his card was swallowed. An anti-fraud marker was placed on the account for the next six years, and he was left unable to open a new account. Eventually, he was able to persuade the financial ombudsman to remove the marker after 10 months. Advertisement Such is the scale of the problem that last year the National Crime Agency, along with the Financial Conduct Authority, named it as one of their top economic crime priorities. It estimates that a whopping £100billion is laundered through or within the UK each year, much of it the proceeds of drugs, fraud and trafficking. The rise of crypto currencies such as Bitcoin has also opened up new fronts in the war against money laundering. In 2024, former takeaway worker Jian Wen was jailed for six years and eight months after being found with Bitcoin worth more than £2billion, linked to money laundering. Wen, 42, came to the attention of police when she tried to buy some of London’s most expensive properties, including a £23.5m seven-bedroom Hampstead mansion with a swimming pool and a nearby £12.5m home with a cinema and gym. At Southwark Crown she was convicted of entering into or becoming concerned in a money laundering arrangement. The Metropolitan Police said at the time of the conviction the seizure was the largest of its kind in the UK.