Joe Calzaghe’s ex-girlfriend is facing jail after being convicted of smuggling £5million cash in her luggage to Dubai. Former model Jo-Emma Larvin, 44, dated the Welsh former world champion boxing legend for six years, until they broke up in 2009. He is not connected to the case.

Larvin was part of a £100million smuggling ring – one of Britain’s biggest money laundering cases.

She and current partner, Jonathan Johnson, 55, Beatrice Auty, 26, and Amy Harrison, 27, were found guilty of money laundering at Isleworth Crown Court.

The gang made 83 trips from Heathrow Airport to Dubai between November 2019 and October 2020.

The court heard the defendants would travel business class to allow for extra luggage and quicker check-ins.

Those transporting the suitcases were paid about £3,000 for making the journey, the jury was told.

The National Crime Agency said the operation was overseen by Abdullah Alfalasi, 47, who was jailed for more than nine years last July. Cash from criminal gangs – believed to be the profits of drug dealing – was taken to counting houses – usually rented flats in central London.

The money was then vacuum packed and separated into suitcases, typically containing around £500,000 each. They were sprayed with coffee or air freshener in a bid to stop them being discovered by sniffer dogs.

Larvin and Johnson, both from Ripon, North Yorkshire, took eight cases containing a total of £2.8million on an Emirates flight in September 2020, the trial heard.

Larvin also accompanied Harrison, of Worcester Park, Surrey, on the same journey two weeks earlier with £2.2million.

In court, Larvin and Johnson claimed they thought they were flying out millions of pounds that had been authorised by UAE embassy officials.

Adrian Searle, of the NCA, said: “The laundering of such vast quantities of cash enables organised criminals and
corrupt elites to clean or hide their ill-gotten gains. Cash smugglers typically work on behalf of International Controller Networks, who move the finances of the international drug trade, people traffickers, fraudsters and other criminal groups.

“The criminality this enables costs the UK billions every year, causes misery and ruins lives across the world.”

Police say the operation targeting the ring is ongoing and expect more charges.

Source: Read Full Article