HMRC is to auction off almost 150 kilos of gold, estimated to be worth more than £2.5m, which was smuggled into the UK by a criminal gang
The gold was seized during an HMRC investigation into a £9m smuggling plot that saw the gang’s leader, Chaudry Ali of Middlesex, jailed for nine years in 2012. He was ordered to pay back £4.3m of his criminal profits or serve an extra ten years in prison, when he appeared at Kingston Crown Court in November 2014.
Kevin Newe, assistant director, fraud investigation service, HMRC, said: ‘Our work doesn’t stop when a criminal is sentenced; we always look to reclaim their illegal profits for the nation’s finances to fund the public services used by everyone. By auctioning the gold we seized during the investigation we are moving another step closer to bringing this long and complicated case to a conclusion and ensure justice is fully served.’
The gold will be auctioned on 30 October at Wilsons Auctions in Belfast. Viewing takes place on 28 and 29 October. With guide prices ranging from £200 to £5,000 per lot, catalogue entries include Asian gold bracelets, necklaces, rings, a statue and gold bars. Two online auctions have already taken place and so far raised almost £700,000.
Further action to recover the proceeds of crime is being taken by selling properties and land worth nearly £2m owned by Ali in Birmingham and London.
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