£4m stash of gold bars ‘belonging to South American drug lords’ finally seized by UK authorities after they were intercepted at Heathrow airport four years ago
- NCA obtained a civil recovery order for about 80 percent of the seized gold
- The gold was en route to Switzerland from the Cayman Islands when it was seized
Investigators can now recover £4m in gold belonging to South American drug cartels that was seized at Heathrow airport almost four years ago.
The gold, which weighed around 104 kilograms, was en route to Switzerland from the Cayman Islands when it was intercepted by UK Border Force officers in June 2019.
He had previously arrived in the Cayman Islands from Venezuela on a private jet.
The gold has been withheld under the Proceeds of Crime Act. But now the National Crime Agency (NCA) has obtained a recovery order that will allow investigators to take possession of it. Mirror informed.
Investigators can now recover £4m in gold belonging to South American drug cartels that was seized at Heathrow airport almost four years ago. The gold, which weighed around 104 kilograms, was en route to Switzerland from the Cayman Islands when it was seized by Border Force agents in June 2019.
Now, following settlement discussions and an application to the High Court, the NCA has obtained a civil order to recover approximately 80 percent of the seized gold. The rest of the gold will reportedly be returned to “companies with a financial interest” in it.
On June 1, 2019, Border Force officers, acting on NCA intelligence, moved to stop the shipment at Heathrow airport.
The gold, found in the cargo section of the plane, later became the subject of a money laundering investigation by Cayman Islands authorities, with the assistance of the NCA.
Investigators worked closely to prove that the suspected cartel members had created a false paperwork trail to hide the true origin of the gold.
The officers also determined that the individuals involved in the movement of the gold were linked to organized crime.
Now, after settlement discussions and an application to the High Court, the NCA it has now obtained a civil recovery order for about 80 percent of the seized gold.
The rest of the gold will reportedly be returned to “companies with a financial interest” in it.
NCA branch commander Andy Noyes told the newspaper that criminals looking to move drug money are “attracted to gold because of the high value contained in relatively small amounts.”
He argued that the the seizure “disrupted the criminal network” and prevented drug cartels from “reinvesting in more crime that harms our communities.”
MailOnline has approached the NCA for comment.
Border Force officers, acting on NCA intelligence, moved to stop the shipment at Heathrow Airport on June 1, 2019.
The gold, found in the cargo section of the plane, later became the subject of a money laundering investigation by Cayman Islands authorities, with the assistance of the NCA.
Investigators worked closely to prove that the suspected cartel members had created a false paperwork trail to hide the true origin of the gold.