Ahmedabad: A group of six Gujarati men, all living illegally in the US, were convicted of running a hawala network. They were found guilty of illegally moving nearly $15 million between the US and India over a period of six months in 2023.

Their final sentencing, ranging from 12 to 27 months, was delivered by a New York federal court on June 5. The mastermind, Hirenkumar Patel, 40, was sentenced to 21 months in prison. He earlier pleaded guilty to participating in 42 cash deliveries amounting to over $7.7 million across various locations on the US East Coast. According to case details, the group moved the money between Feb and Sept 2023, using an informal transfer system that relied on physical cash deliveries and the use of informal brokers to transfer funds to designated recipients in India without the money physically leaving the US.Officials said the accused collected large amounts of cash from individuals in the US, which was then delivered to customers of a vendor operating on the dark web. This vendor converted cryptocurrency into cash for clients, the top ones being hackers and drug dealers. None of the six Gujaratis had licences to operate a money-transmitting business under federal or New York state law.The Federal Bureau of Investigation, along with the US Postal Inspection Service and the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky, led the investigation.

Rajendrakumar Patel, 52, received 27 months in prison; Brijeshkumar Patel, 32, was sentenced to 18 months; Naineshkumar Patel, 51, received 12 months and one day; Nileshkumar Patel, 33, was sentenced to three years of probation, while Shaileshkumar Goyani, 36, received a sentence of time served. All six had been living in the US without legal immigration status.