Wigan man who smuggled £1.3m into UAE escapes immediate prison sentence

Craig Bramall, 42, from Wigan, Samantha Horst, 51, from Staines-upon-Thames, and Bridget Taylor, 43, from Edinburgh, were all convicted of money laundering offences after a trial at Isleworth Crown Court in December.

They were part of a network which smuggled more than £104m in suitcases during 83 London to Dubai trips between November 2019 and October 2020.

Today, Bramall was sentenced to 17 months in prison, suspended for two years, while Horst was jailed for 24 months, suspended for two years, and Taylor was jailed for 21 months, suspended for two years.

National Crime Agency senior investigating officer Ian Truby said: “These were brazen removals of criminal cash from the UK. Each suitcase carried was brimming with bank notes.

“I’ve no doubt that Horst, Taylor and Bramall knew this money was the profits of high-harm crime, which would have ended up being reinvested in further criminal activity.

“Cash is the lifeblood of organised crime. Working with partners like Border Force, we are determined to do all we can to disrupt that flow of illicit finance and target the money launderers involved.”

The criminal conspiracy was overseen by Abdullah Alfalasi, 48, who was jailed for more than nine years in July.

The couriers were paid around £3,000 for each trip and took business class flights due to the extra luggage allowance.

Horst made three trips to Dubai between August and September 2020, checking in 18 suitcases containing £6.8m.

Taylor made the journey with a co-traveller in September 2020, taking five suitcases containing £2m. She also transported £1.3m in three suitcases in July 2020.

Bramall removed an estimated £1.3m in three suitcases during the one trip he made in September 2020.

The network collected cash from criminal groups around the UK, which was believed to be the profits of drug dealing, and took it to counting houses, usually rented apartments in central London.

The money was vacuum-packed and separated into suitcases which would typically each contain around £500,000, weighing around 40kg.

Eleven other couriers have been convicted previously.