Gang ringleader Abdullah Alfalasi was recently sentenced to almost 10 years in prison for using a network of couriers to smuggle money from the UK to Dubai, shining a spotlight on how organised crime groups are attempting to circumvent the increasingly stringent measures the UK has in place for tackling economic crime.

It has become increasingly difficult to bank large amounts of cash into UK accounts, thus Alfalasi used dozens of ‘mules’ to syphon over £100m of cash out of the UK between April to November 2019.

Upon arrival in Dubai, the cash was funnelled through a front organisation masquerading as a company that invests in gold. In this way, the cash could be converted into dirhams, cryptocurrencies or gold relatively easily, before being sent back to UK crime groups under the guise of legitimate assets.