An Indian-origin couple in the UK on Monday was convicted for smuggling 512 kilos of cocaine worth 57 million pounds via a commercial flight from the UK to Australia, back in May 2021.
The couple, whose extradition was sought by India, has also been accused by Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) of running a front company that had sent the drugs by plane under a cover load of six metal toolboxes.
Arti Dhir, 59, and Kavaljitsinh Raijada, 35, who hail from Hanwell in Ealing, were convicted on 12 counts of exportation and 18 counts of money laundering by a jury following a trial at Southwark Crown Court. Their sentence is due at the same court on Tuesday.
After being informed by the Australian Border Force, the UK officials traced the consignment back to Dhir and Raijada, who had set up a front company called Viefly Freight Services with the sole purpose of smuggling drugs.
Both had been directors of the company at different points since its incorporation in June 2015.
While Raijada’s fingerprints were found on the plastic wrappings of the metal toolboxes containing the seized drugs, the receipts for the order of the toolboxes, worth 2855 pounds were also discovered at the couple’s home.
According to the NCA, 37 consignments were sent to Australia since June 2019, of which 22 were dummy runs and 15 contained cocaine.
The investigators believe that Dhir and Raijada’s knowledge of airport freight could be attributed to the fact that both of them had been employed by a flight services company at Heathrow earlier.
While Dhir worked there from March 2003 until October 2016, Raijada worked at the same company from March 2014 to December 2016.
The pair was first arrested in June 2021 and officers seized 5,000 pounds worth of gold-plated silver bars, 13,000 pounds from their home and found 60,000 pounds in cash in a safety deposit box.
After they were arrested again in again in February 2023, NCA officers discovered almost 3 million pounds in cash hidden in boxes and suitcases at a storage unit in Hanwell, which Raijada had rented in his mother’s name.
Both of them had deposited almost 7,40,000 pounds in cash into 22 different bank accounts since 2019 and were further charged with money laundering.
The couple was earlier accused of arranging the murder of their 11-year-old adopted son Gopal Sejani for an insurance pay-out in 2017.
The pair from Hanwell travelled to Gujarat to adopt Gopal in 2015, promising him a better life in London.
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