Emma Rauf, 34, abused her position at Manchester Airport for couriers who were smuggling the suitcases full of cash to Dubai and her parents home was shot up after hundreds of thousands went missing17:03, 05 Jun 2026An airline check-in attendant has admitted helping a crime family smuggle millions of pounds to Dubai so she could buy designer goods and a boob job.‌Emma Rauf, 34, abused her position at a check-in desk at Manchester Airport for couriers who were smuggling the cash to the UAE city. Her parents' home was later shot at, after £406,500 was stolen from her car when she left it in the boot on her drive overnight, Bolton Crown Court was told.‌The gangster who owned the missing cash warned that whoever took it would get a "bullet through the head" and ordered Rauf to take a lie detector test, the court heard. After Rauf refused, several bullets were fired through the front door and lounge window of the family home in Hale.‌She was later seen taking full bags to a safety deposit box in Manchester City Centre, the court heard. Heather Jeffrey, 58, her son Sheldan Noel, 30, and daughter Lamara Noel, 34, all from Bradford, smuggled out a combined total of more than £11million in cash picked up from criminal groups in northern England.Along with other couriers, they would conceal hundreds of thousands of pounds of cash inside clothes in suitcases, before taking it out of the UK without legally declaring it on departure.‌CCTV shows the moment that couriers Devanyl Graham, 26, from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, and Sophie Logan, 31, who had been living in Dubai, pushed seven suitcases through Manchester Airport's Terminal 1 back in May 2018.Rauf waved through suitcases full of cash as they were smuggled on to flights, despite being over the weight limit. The jury watched videos she sent to relatives showing off a Louis Vuitton handbag, Valentino shoes, a diamond ring and Rolex watch inside a Bentley.The court also heard messages that showed Rauf had cosmetic breast surgery paid for due to her role in the crime.‌Bill Baker KC, prosecuting, said she was prepared to risk her job at the Emirates airline to "enjoy the lifestyle" that was brought by commissions on the laundered cash. He said: "The lure of designer goods and expensive watches was no doubt her motivation for involving herself in very serious organised crime."The plot started to fall apart after more than £780,000 was seized in two incidents at UK airports, prompting an investigation by the National Crime Agency.‌Investigators found courier Devanyl Graham had flown to Dubai 18 times, declaring a total of £3.1million in cash on arrival, while Sophie Logan, the personal assistant to the alleged organiser, had flown to and from the city 38 times in two years - declaring £2.2million on arrival.Sheikh Jobe, 33, from Manchester, was recruited by Ben Royle to fly £306,040 in cash from Manchester Airport back in October 2018. However, the cash was detected after check-in, resulting in his arrest.‌Following a 12-week trial at Bolton Crown Court, a jury convicted Devanyl Graham, Sheldan Noel, Lamara Noel, Heather Jeffrey, and Sophie Logan on June 4 of money laundering. Rauf changed her plea to guilty on March 23, while Ben Royle and Sheikh Jobe pleaded guilty at hearings before the trial began.Logan, Graham, Sheldan Noel, Lamara Noel, Royle, Jeffrey, Jobe and Rauf are due to be sentenced at the same court in October.‌The NCA's Jon Hughes said: "This crime group smuggled cash from crime out of the UK on an industrial scale, to remove it from the scrutiny of law enforcement and launder it. Emma Rauf enabled many of these trips by exploiting her position as an airline employee to waive through suitcases stuffed with money to avoid detection by law enforcement."Cash is the lifeblood of organised crime groups. It fuels violence and insecurity around the world. Criminals are prepared to unleash violence to maintain control as the horrific shooting at Emma Rauf's family home shows."This could have easily led to death or serious injury had someone been there, showing that Rauf and Royle recklessly placed their family in grave danger. Disrupting the supply of such illicit cash is a priority for the NCA and our partners.Article continues below"We will continue to target cash couriers and hit crime groups where it hurts - in the pocket - and those who hold roles or positions that facilitate serious and organised crime. We also work with other agencies to target the issue of insider threats at ports and airports."