A KIM Kardashian wannabe, 30, is in jail after being caught smuggling £ 5 million suitcases of cash into Heathrow Airport.
Tara Hanlon was sentenced to two years and ten months in prison for her involvement in what was then the largest fundraising event in 2020.
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Tara Hanlon, 30, was arrested while smuggling £ 5 million in cash-laden suitcases through Heathrow AirportPhoto credit: PA
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The young Brit bragged about the “perfect life” as a cash mulePhoto credit: Ben Lack
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A picture of one of the on Tara. found suitcase border guardsPhoto credit: PA
Border officials discovered the vacuum-wrapped wads of money covered in coffee in Tara’s luggage when she was trying to board a flight to Dubai in October.
The Kardashian doppelganger was found in five separate suitcases at £ 1.94 million.
Tara has already admitted to smuggling millions of pounds out of the country in July and August last year.
The young British woman, who was on leave from her job as a recruiter in March 2020, made £ 3,000 for every trip she took, Isleworth Crown Court heard.
She was acting on the orders of a woman named “Michelle Clerk” whom she had met four years earlier in Leeds but lived in Dubai.
Michelle told her to start a hairdressing company so an accountant could “clean up her money,” the court heard.
Messages found on Tara’s phone indicated she was talking about recruiting a man named Liam to the plan with Michelle.
The young Brit said: “I think Liam will definitely be ready for this.
“Everyone else I know has kids or big mouths. He doesn’t want to miss that much money. ”
Hanlon boasted in a message “3 big ones … with this wage and the next my debts disappear”.
Other messages suggested she was looking to recruit other couriers and described the job as “the perfect life, a few days in the sun and a few at home.”
At one point she sent a friend footage of her bragging about how much money she had spent on a glamorous vacation abroad.
Regarding her arrest on October 3, Prosecutor Nathan Resiah said, “She was stopped by a customs officer who spoke to her.
“She said it was a girls trip and she had 5 bags because she couldn’t decide what to wear.
“She was asked if she had cash and said, ‘No, none.’
“Your luggage contained large amounts of cash covered with coffee powder.”
Judge Karen Holt said to Tara: “It’s not difficult when you have suitcases full of money, don’t pack anything and you’re flown to Dubai to see what’s going on.
“When you were stopped by customs officials, you said you had no cash.
“That was the start of a series of lies and the officer obviously did not accept what you said.
“You gave a very detailed testimony after your arrest, although much of it was wrong.”
The 30-year-old from Middleton, Leeds admitted to one case of conspiracy to remove criminal property, three cases of criminal property removal and one of attempting to remove criminal property.
Investigators from the National Crime Agency had said at the time that the cash-raising was “the largest such exposure to date at the border in 2020.”
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The court heard that she pulled more than £ 3 million out of the country last yearPhoto credit: PA
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Tara lives the high life with friendsPhoto credit: Ben Lack
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Tara’s grandmother said she wanted to look like Kim Kardashian (pictured)Photo credit: Instagram
NCA Chief Investigator Ian Truby said: “Hanlon has smuggled more than £ 3.5million in criminal cash out of the UK and was caught in the act with an additional £ 2million. This money undoubtedly came from organized crime.
“Tara Hanlon thought she was leading a jet-set lifestyle and is now serving a prison sentence instead.
“I hope your story is a warning to others who may consider doing the same.”
