An Indian-origin couple living in the UK has been sentenced to 33 years in prison each for a crime that crosses international borders, in a plot that is uncannily similar to the critically acclaimed TV series “Ozark.” Mirroring the complex webs of deceit portrayed in the renowned crime drama, Arti Dhir, 59, and Kavaljitsinh Raijada, 35, from West London’s Ealing, are at the center of a multi-million-pound drug trafficking enterprise that spanned continents.
The complex plot was exposed by the National Crime Agency (NCA) in May 2021 when the Australian Border Force found more than half a tonne of cocaine worth an incredible 57 million pounds which is over ₹600 crore. Cleverly hidden inside metal toolboxes, the drug-filled cargo was identified as belonging to an average couple who had set up a front company called Viefly Freight Services to help them with their drug-smuggling network.
A court heard that the couple’s front company sent the drugs from the UK on a commercial flight. The authorities found a staggering amount of 514 kilograms of cocaine while breaking open the metal toolboxes. In Australia, where drug costs are significantly higher than in the UK, the street value of this unlawful cargo was estimated to be worth 57 million pounds.
Dhir and Raijada angrily denied the allegations of money laundering and cocaine exportation to Australia. However, the jury at Southwark Crown Court found them guilty on 12 counts of exportation and 18 counts of money laundering.
The NCA connected the dots leading to the convicted couple. Raijada’s fingerprints on the plastic wrappings of the toolboxes and receipts discovered at their home were the key evidence linking them to the crime.
Prior to their unlawful activities, Dhir and Raijada worked for a Heathrow flight services company, exploiting their insider knowledge of airport freight procedures to cloak their illicit activities. The elaborate plan started to fall apart when the couple was apprehended at their Hanwell home on June 21, 2021 leading to the discovery of substantial amounts of cash and gold-plated silver bars.
In last year, February, investigations revealed the magnitude of the couple’s undisclosed fortune. Officers from the NCA found nearly three million pounds in cash stashed in boxes and luggage at a West London storage facility.
Financial investigations showed that the couple had bought a Land Rover for 62,000 pounds and an apartment in Ealing for 800,000 pounds (about ₹ 8.5 crore) despite reporting meager profits. Since 2019, their almost 740,000 pounds in cash deposits into 22 separate bank accounts have sparked concerns about possible massive money laundering.
“Arti Dhir and Kavaljitsinh Raijada used their insider knowledge of the air freight industry to traffic cocaine worth tens of millions of pounds from the UK to Australia, where they knew they could maximise their revenue,” Piers Phillips, NCA Senior Investigating Officer, said as quoted by news agency PTI.
The couple faced extradition sought by India on charges of murdering their adopted son, Gopal Sejani, in Gujarat. The 11-year-old’s tragic fate unfolded in February 2017, with Indian police alleging a sinister plot involving adoption, insurance, and a staged kidnapping for an insurance payout.
The accused promised the small child a better life in London after traveling to Gujarat in 2015 to adopt Gopal. On February 8, 2017, Gopal, however, was kidnapped, stabbed, and abandoned by the side of the road.
The pair allegedly advertised in a local newspaper, luring potential adoptive parents with the idea of bringing their adopted child to live in London. Their scheme was directed on Gopal, a rural child who lived with his older sister and her husband. Indian authorities claimed that Dhir and Raijada’s intentions went beyond just giving Gopal a place to live.
India’s bid for extradition was turned down in 2019, and its appeal to the London High Court in 2020 was not successful.