Five million dollars’ worth of gold bars have been seized at London’s Heathrow Airport by law enforcement officials investigating a South American drug cartel.
The gold, weighing around 229 pounds, was on its way to Switzerland from the Cayman Islands when it was seized. It had previously arrived in the Cayman Islands from Venezuela on a private jet.
The shipment was seized last month but judicial officials have now allowed the National Crime Agency (NCA) to hold it under the Proceeds of Crime act. The gold is now being treated as money laundering in an investigation by the Cayman Islands with the help of the NCA.
HEATHROW AIRPORT INVESTIGATING AFTER 12-YEAR-OLD BOARDS BRITISH AIRWAYS FLIGHT WITHOUT A TICKET
“We believe that this shipment was linked to drugs cartels operating out of South America,” NCA Heathrow branch commander, Steve McIntyre, said of the news. “Working with partners overseas and in the UK we were quickly able to identify it and stop its onward movement.”
“The business model of many organized crime groups relies upon the ability to move money across borders, to fund further investment in criminal activity,” McIntyre continued. “If we can stop that it not only causes disruption to the criminal network involved and prevents them benefiting from crime, it also stops that re-investment.” – READ MORE