A check-in worker at Manchester Airport was part of a criminal gang that smuggled nearly £30m in cash out of the UK.
Emirates check-in attendant Emma Rauf, 34, abused her position to help couriers pass suitcases containing criminal money on to flights to Dubai, a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation found.
She pleaded guilty to money laundering offences and was convicted along with seven other people following a trial at Bolton Crown Court.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) revealed that Rauf not only facilitated these trips while on shift but also contacted colleagues to ensure the suitcases were treated with the same leniency when she was off duty.
The couriers, who were treated to stays in high end Dubai hotels and nights at exclusive beach clubs, often carried up to five suitcases at once. The money was typically hidden inside clothing to avoid detection. However, the operation was far from a victimless crime.
The dangers of their work became clear when Rauf and her brother, Ben Royle, left £406,500 of criminal cash in the boot of a car parked at their family home in Hale. After the money was stolen by an opportunistic thief, the Dubai based “organiser” of the ring forced the pair to take lie detector tests.
The NCA said couriers carried hundreds of thousands of pounds at a time, concealed in clothing inside suitcases.
Rauf, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, allowed excess baggage containing cash to pass through check-in without proper checks.
When she was not on shift, she contacted colleagues and instructed them to treat excess baggage in the same way, investigators said.
A gunman later sprayed the empty family home with bullets, shattering the front door and living room windows. NCA branch commander Jon Hughes noted that the incident could easily have resulted in death, highlighting how Rauf and Royle recklessly placed their family in the line of fire.
The investigation was triggered after Border Force officers seized nearly £800,000 in cash during two separate incidents. One courier, Sheikh Jobe, was arrested in October 2018 after being caught with more than £300,000 in his luggage.
Following a trial at Bolton Crown Court that concluded on 4 June, eight people were convicted for their roles in the money laundering scheme.
Royle and Sheikh Jobe, 33, from Manchester, also pleaded guilty to the same charge, while Devanyl Graham, 26, from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire; Sophie Logan, 31; Heather Jeffrey, 58, her children Sheldan Noel, 30, and daughter Lamara Noel, 34, all from Bradford; were found guilty after a trail at Bolton Crown Court.
