THE last thing you’d expect a illegal vape seller to have invested in is gold, but that is exactly what was glinting at police as they searched a safety deposit box.
for selling Spice-laced vapes on Snapchat, and had turned their profits from their organised into gold bullion – worth £7,000.
Sufiaan Ali had turned his ill-gotten profits into a gold bar Credit: supplied
Police forces across the country are seizing large amounts of illicit gold like this one Credit: SWNS:South West News Service
Jalal Aftab had also bought a gold bar with his crime profits Credit: supplied
The gang had been selling illegal vapes on Snapchat and had bought gold with profits Credit: Andy Kelvin / Kelvin Media
Fellow conspirator Oamr Abu-Sharkh had opted to buy gold coins, another way to access the high-value precious metal.
The gang were adding zombie drug Spice to legitimate vape flavours such as Tango Ice Blast and Haribo, which cops reckon were to appeal to kids, then flogging online – making the group tens of thousands in profits.
They’re following a new trend for crooks who are cashing in on easy to access gold market, attempting to sneak home-made gold bars through the UK’s airports.
Dozey crooks have been caught attempting to take huge amounts of gold through UK airports, while the more cunning take their dirty cash out to the to purchase properly hall-marked gold.
A Sun invesitgation can reveal that cops are seeing more and more of this new laundering scheme as criminals move to keep their profits protected – with gold price at an all time high.
And have even invested in gold scanners to crack down on the illicit gold trade which costs billions in trade and tax globally.
The has noted that the price of gold has increased between 1st August 2025 and March this year, which they say has “increased the attractiveness of this commodity for a variety of criminal activities impacting the UK.”
Forces, including Greater Manchester Police, are seeing more illicit bullion than ever before.
The force’s Detective Superintendent Andy Buckthorpe, who leads the Economic and Cyber Crime Unit, said: “Anecdotally, we believe there is a market for illicit gold in Dubai and the Middle East.
“There’s individuals out there that can make some pretty impressive out of gold.
“We have seen that organised crime groups trade in gold, particularly gold bars, trying to leave the UK with it to potentially come back with it as jewellery.
“It can then obviously be legitimised and sold on in the UK for profit.”
The British bullion is handed to gold couriers destined for Dubai and other cities in the Middle East where it can be legitimised as jewellery or turned proper hall-marked gold bullion.
Up to 30 per cent of all gold traded on the planet passes through Dubai – but it’s a trade rife for exploitation.
Other crooks are opting to head out to the holiday destination to buy jewelry or bullion out there with their cash gained from illegal venures.
This year his team have reclaimed a whopping £18million from crooks operating in the Greater Manchester area, including cash, possessions and bullion.
GMP’s Economic Crime Team has seized more bullion from crooks than ever Credit: GMP
Dubai’s gold souk has a range of gold products that can be bought (STOCK) Credit: Getty
Some crooks take cash out to Dubai to buy gold to launder it (STOCK) Credit: NCA
Arti Dhir and Kavaljitsinh Raijada had bought gold-plated silver bars with their profits from cocaine smuggling Credit: NCA
In February this year GMP seized five gold bars worth £1.8million from a man attempting to take them to the Middle East from Manchester Airport.
The mule had 15kg of the metal in his hand luggage – raising suspicions and leading to him being stopped.
For legitimate bullion being moved in and out of the UK, documents verifying acquisition and legitimacy of the gold are presented, and anything over £10,000 has to be declared to customs with the appropriate certifications.
The man smuggling the gold didn’t have any documents to confirm it was legal and legitimate, leading a a judge to rule the haul was likely proceeds of crime and that could seize it.
Detective Inspector Sarah Langley, from the Economic Crime Unit, said: “This case reflects our unwavering commitment to tackling all forms of money laundering — whether it involves cash, gold, or any other high value assets used to hide criminal profits.
“Criminals continuously adapt their methods, and so must we. By targeting the movement of illicit wealth at every stage, we are dismantling the financial networks that allow organised crime to thrive.”
More and more crooks are turning to putting their ill-gotten profits into gold.
In November last year the force seized seven gold bars from a car leaving Manchester Airport – with an estimated total value of £700,000.
GMP seized gold leaving the airport that was thought to be part of money laundering Credit: GMP
Gregory Frankel was one of the men jailed for his part in the money laundering scheme Credit: CPS
Gold believed to belong to a South American drugs cartel was found at Heathrow in 2019 Credit: SWNS:South West News Service
Illicit gold bars lack the hallmarking, weight and purity marks of legitimate gold bullion Credit: SWNS:South West News Service
Across the country in West , a gang of four was sentenced for one of the biggest money laundering schemes in UK history which involved shipping gold bars to Dubai.
Gregory Frankel, 47, Daniel Rawson, 47, Haroon Rashid, 54, and Arjun Babber, 32, were convicted in March 2025 for turning criminal profits into untraceable gold bars.
Each of the men got sentences between 11 years and eight months, and ten years.
They operated between 2014 and 2016 using Bradford-based jewellers Fowler Oldfield, a business premises in London and a company called Pure Nines Ltd based in Hatton Gardens.
The defendants were said to have concealed the origins of the cash, which came from the UK and abroad, to buy legitimate gold which was then shipped to Dubai.
The court heard that the dirty money was delivered in carrier bags and holdalls containing hundreds of thousands of pounds at a time, and was even concealed in fast food boxes and children’s toys.
It was not said what happened to the gold which was sent to Dubai.
Other forces have also seen huge amounts of gold coming through UK airports. In 2019 gold bars worth £4million were found at Heathrow Airport on their way to , believed to belong to a South American Cartel.
And in 2022 a Singaporean woman was arrested at Heathrow with £650,000 worth of gold in five gold bars. She was attempting to catch a connecting flight to Chennai, India.
Crooks attempting to take gold to the Middle East aren’t likely to be the brightest of the bunch as most will get caught, cops say.
A high ranking police source told The Sun: “It’s pretty unusual and idiocy for criminals to take gold bars to Dubai to be melted down as they’re highly likely to get caught. It’s not something that can be easily hidden in a suitcase
“We are aware that UK criminals living in Dubai are using gold as currency and for laundering purposes.
“It’s easy to buy gold out there and bring it back to the UK in your case.”
Those lucky enough to get the bars out of the UK without being caught by police or border force won’t struggle to off-load it once in the Middle East.
The gold souk is known by criminals for having more relaxed rules around buying and selling (STOCK) Credit: Getty
Once in the UK, the Middle Eastern gold can be sold on legitimately Credit: Getty
In Dubai’s gold souk, known for having more lack rules around buying, selling and trading the previous metal, vendors have admitted to not doing checks.
The industry is made up of a complex web of physical gold traders, who operate from a number of hubs throughout the city, gold refineries where the precious metal can be melted down and moulded, vaults where gold bullion is stored and online trading platforms, where gold worth billions changes hands at the press of a button.
Physical gold is both imported and exported in the form of bars, coins and jewellery.
“I have one or two British customers,” Rashid, a gold dealer in Dubai, told The Times . “They usually buy a 24-carat chain. They say if you take a gold bar there will be a problem in the airport. So they usually will wear a chain and there is no problem with that.”
Once told who he was speaking to, he changed his story and claimed he knew nothing about criminals buying gold and that his would require a source of funds for anything bought over £10,600 (50,000 dirhams).
Similar happened when The Sun visited the gold souk to confirm what Manchester Police had told us, vendors denied they would consider purchasing gold from Brits because it’s “too expensive”.
The Times also reported that the NCA has evidence that smuggled cash is being used by crooks to buy gold bullion in Dubai’s marketplace or in Africa, where illegal gold mining operations accept cash with no checks on where it has come from.
“One thing that everybody knows about gold is it costs a lot of money, and it has historically been shown to be an excellent store of value,” Sal Melki, the head of illicit finance threat at the NCA, told The Times.
A government spokesperson told The Sun: “We will not tolerate criminal gangs seeking to launder dirty money through our shores.
“Border Force is working as part of a specialist cell to tackle the illegal cash and gold trade, helping to seize assets worth millions. This is on top of dedicated gold scanners at ports to disrupt criminality.”
“We continue to work closely with law enforcement partners to keep the public safe and our borders secure.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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