Glamorous Jo-Emma Larvin was accustomed to the high life. A celebrity former boyfriend, dreams of making it big as an actress and a former career as a glamour model, she lived a lifestyle many would be envious of.
But in a stunning fall from grace, she could soon be sent to prison after being found guilty of acting as a money mule for a crime gang. Convicted alongside her current partner of removing criminal property from the UK, she acted as one of a number of smugglers who hid cash within their luggage on flights from Heathrow to Dubai.
So far 11 couriers have been convicted over the shipments of cash that were vacuum packed and hidden in suitcases. The ring smuggled more than £104m from the UK to Dubai in 83 separate trips between November 2019 and October 2020.
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Larvin, 44, and her partner Jonathan Johnson, 55, were taken into custody at Manchester Airport by police last March. The couriers were paid around £3,000 for each trip, and were booked on business class flights due to the extra luggage allowance.
On her first trip, where she travelled with another money mule, 27-year-old Amy Harrison, they took £2.2m in seven suitcases. On the second occasion, she flew with Johnson. They brought £2.8m and used ordinary holiday items to disguise the large amount of cash stashed across eight suitcases.
Messages discovered by police revealed that Larvin knew she was taking a huge risk and feared being caught. She told Johnson that she was 'in at the deep end'.
"You need to be super careful," he replied. "I like your enterprise but be careful of the threat of clink (sic)." Clink, being a slang term for prison.
The ringleader of the money laundering ring, 47-year-old Abdullah Alfalsi, was jailed for more than nine years in July last year. Cash from criminal gangs around the UK was collected by the crew, believed to be the profits of drug dealing, and taken to counting houses - usually rented apartments in central London.
At Isleworth Crown Court in London earlier this week, Johnson and Larvin, both from Ripon in North Yorkshire, and Amy Harrison, of Worcester Park, south west London, were all found guilty by a jury. Larvin, who used to live in Hull, once had dreams of becoming an actress.
She reportedly bagged a role in Lord of the Rings alongside Orlando Bloom and hit the headlines over her celebrity relationship. She now describes herself as a safari specialist, wildlife photographer, travel consultant, social media digital marketing specialist and interior designer.
But that could soon change when she faces justice following a spectacular downfall. Sentencing is due to take place at a later date.
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