Asghar Gheshalghian, a 48-year-old Iranian investigated by the National Crime Agency (NCA) for his involvement in laundering money made by people smuggling networks engaged in small boat crossings, has been sentenced to eight years in prison. Gheshalghian operated an unregistered money services business from an office block in Wood Green, functioning as a trusted middleman within a network of bankers using the hawala system.
His activities involved accepting payments from migrants or their families and releasing money to criminal gangs after the completion of their journeys to the UK, charging a commission in the process. The NCA arrested Gheshalghian in February 2021 based on evidence collected during a two-year investigation. He ran a rug company as a front for his money laundering operations.
Phone evidence revealed links with at least eight Iranian migrants who later arrived in the UK through boat or lorry crossings, claiming asylum. Covert recordings captured Gheshalghian admitting that a significant portion of his business was illegal. He boasted about being trusted by people smuggling gangs to handle financial transactions, underlining their confidence in his integrity.
Following his arrest, the NCA seized around £50,000 in cash from his business premises, a storage lock-up, and his home. Ledgers outlining transactions were recovered, and financial investigators traced approximately £1.6 million in payments into his bank accounts. Evidence from an ITV documentary, where undercover reporters discussed money transfers with a people smuggler in northern France referring to a broker named “Mr G” (Gheshalghian), further supported the case.
After a two-week trial at Southwark Crown Court, Gheshalghian was found guilty of five counts of money laundering and facilitating illegal immigration. The judge sentenced him to eight years in prison, highlighting the severity of his role in enabling organised crime gangs involved in dangerous Channel crossings. The NCA’s Branch Commander, Mark Howes, emphasized the agency’s commitment to disrupting and dismantling criminal networks engaged in organised immigration crime, targeting financial flows through individuals like Gheshalghian. The investigation received support from HM Revenue & Customs and the Crown Prosecution Service.
Michael Oatley, Unit Head for the CPS, stated that Gheshalghian knowingly operated an unregulated money service business to aid criminal gangs in smuggling people into the UK illegally. The prosecution’s message is clear: the CPS, alongside law enforcement, will tirelessly work to dismantle criminal networks attempting to facilitate illegal immigration.
