Indian-origin couple residing in the UK has been sentenced to 33 years in prison each after being convicted of orchestrating a sophisticated cocaine smuggling operation, with a street value of £57 million, from the United Kingdom to Australia.
Arti Dhir, 59, and Kavaljitsinh Raijada, 35, from Hanwell in Ealing, were identified and apprehended by the National Crime Agency (NCA) investigators after Australian Border Force intercepted the massive drug shipment in Sydney in May 2021.
The couple, who had faced extradition to India on charges related to the murder of their adopted son in Gujarat, were found guilty on 12 counts of exportation and 18 counts of money laundering in a trial at Southwark Crown Court. The judge sentenced them on Tuesday following their conviction on Monday.
The sophisticated operation involved shipping six metal toolboxes containing 514 kilograms of cocaine via a commercial flight from the UK to Australia.
The drugs, when sold in Australia, would have been worth up to £57 million, where prices for such substances are significantly higher than in the UK. In the UK, a kilogram of cocaine at wholesale is priced at around £26,000, while in Australia, the same amount fetches £110,000.
Investigations by the NCA revealed that the couple operated under the guise of a front company named Viefly Freight Services, specifically established for smuggling drugs.
Both Dhir and Raijada had served as directors of the company since its incorporation in June 2015. Raizada’s fingerprints on the plastic wrappings of the metal toolboxes and receipts for the purchase of the toolboxes further linked them to the illicit operation.
NCA officers traced 37 consignments sent to Australia since June 2019, revealing 22 dummy runs and 15 containing actual cocaine.
Dhir’s employment at a Heathrow flight services company from March 2003 to October 2016, and Raijada’s tenure at the same company from March 2014 to December 2016, raised suspicions about their potential use of insider knowledge to facilitate their criminal activities.
The couple was arrested at their residence in Hanwell on June 21, 2021. During the arrest, officers seized £5,000 worth of gold-plated silver bars, £13,000 in cash inside the home, and discovered an additional £60,000 in cash in a safety deposit box.
Further investigations in February 2023 uncovered almost £3 million in cash hidden in boxes and suitcases at a storage unit in Hanwell, rented in Raijada’s mother’s name.
Despite declaring minimal profits, the couple had also purchased assets, including an £800,000 flat in Ealing and a £62,000 Land Rover.
Financial inquiries revealed deposits of almost £740,000 in cash across 22 different bank accounts since 2019, leading to additional charges of money laundering.
The NCA plans to initiate Proceeds of Crime proceedings to strip the couple of their assets.