Woman 'tried to smuggle £2m in suitcases on plane from Heathrow to Dubai' - money laundering charge

A British woman has allegedly tried to smuggle nearly £2million from the UK to Dubai.

Tara Hanlon, 30, from Pelham Court, Leeds, West Yorkshire, was charged with money laundering after five suitcases filled with the cash was found at Heathrow Airport.

She was arrested at about 8pm on Saturday along with a 28-year-old woman from Doncaster, who has been released under investigation and who has not been named. The haul is the largest cash seizure at the UK border this year.

UK immigration minister Chris Philp said: “This is the largest individual cash seizure at the border so far in 2020 and I am delighted with the efforts of Border Force officers.

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“Preventing the export of undeclared cash from the UK is a vital step in clamping down on organised criminal gangs.”

Hanlon appeared at Uxbridge Magistrates Court on Monday and was remanded in custody until a future hearing.

Last December Essex News and Investigations revealed how Dubai was fast taking over from the Costa del Sol as a safe haven for organised criminals to hide out and launder their money.