British-Indian couple sentenced 33 Years over cocaine and murder charges

Arti Dhir, 59, and Kavaljitsinh Raijada, 35, a British-Indian couple whose extradition was sought by India for the alleged murder of their adopted son in Gujarat, has been sentenced to 33 years in prison each. The couple was convicted of 12 counts of exportation and 18 counts of money laundering on Monday after exporting over half a tonne of cocaine to Australia.

The drugs, intercepted by the Australian Border Force in May 2021, were concealed in metal toolboxes shipped via a commercial flight from the UK. The National Crime Agency (NCA) identified Dhir and Raijada, who had set up a front company called Viefly Freight Services, as the culprits behind the drug smuggling operation. The couple, with knowledge of airport freight procedures from their previous employment at Heathrow, used their insider information to traffic cocaine worth tens of millions of pounds.

Prosecutor Hugh French, during the trial at Southwark Crown Court, likened the couple's modus operandi to crime dramas 'Ozark' and 'Breaking Bad,' describing them as "ruthless and greedy" and "very different from the average married couple." The intercepted cocaine, weighing 514 kilos, led to the identification of Dhir and Raijada by NCA investigators.

Their front company, Viefly Freight Services, was established in June 2015, and the couple had been directors at different times. Raijada's fingerprints on the toolboxes and receipts for the order found at their home linked them to the crime. The NCA revealed that since June 2019, there were 37 consignments sent to Australia, of which 22 were dummy runs and 15 contained cocaine.

Dhir and Raijada, arrested in June 2021, were found to possess significant unexplained wealth, including gold-plated silver bars, cash, and property. Financial inquiries revealed deposits of almost £740,000 in cash into 22 different bank accounts since 2019, leading to additional money laundering charges.

India had previously sought their extradition for the alleged murder of their 11-year-old adopted son in Gujarat. However, the request was denied in 2019 by Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on human rights grounds. The Gujarat police claimed the couple staged their son's kidnapping and murder to split a life insurance payout of Rs 1.3 crore.