Latest news with #OperationMachinize
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Yahoo
More shop and barber raids to come, says inspector
A police inspector in charge of an operation investigating high street businesses acting as fronts for criminal activity has said there are more raids to come. Raids in Shrewsbury, Hereford and Worcester, were amongst 265 carried out across England and Wales as part of a crackdown on businesses - often Turkish-style barbers, vape shops and mini-marts - suspected of being fronts for international crime gangs. Det Insp Daniel Fenn of West Mercia Police said from the 33 warrants issued, four arrests for money laundering and immigration offences were made. He told BBC Radio Shropshire: "You shouldn't be worried about going into a barber shop because some of them are being run legally." "However, the signs to look out for are if a shop is always closed, are they being run at odd times, do you see quite a lot of activity during the night time hours, do they have very few customers but lots of workers in the shop, for example?" Small shops, barbers and vape stores are suspected of being fronts for illegal activity like human trafficking and money laundering as part of the National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation, known as Operation Machinize. The Shrewsbury raid was on a barber shop in the centre of town, one of five close together which were also targeted in the operation. West Mercia Police arrested one man for money laundering offences in relation to a raid on a barber shop in Worcester, while three others were arrested in Hereford and Worcester for immigration offences. Det Insp Fenn said police had seen many barber shops opening across the country, both in urban and rural areas. "That is not to say that all of them are run illegally but obviously with more and more popping up it raises questions," he said. He said while the raids resulted in organised crime being uncovered, police had to act quickly as offenders moved on. "We found the ones we did [raid] across the West Mercia area were linked, they are either linked through the same directorship or linked to other shops such as sweet shops or vape shops, so there are a wide span of businesses linked to either one person or intrinsically linked across a number of pieces." From the raids in Shropshire, West Mercia Police recovered £500,000 in illegal assets, linked to tobacco, illicit vapes and large amounts of cash stored in ways that were "indicative to money laundering." Det Insp Fenn said the money would now go back into West Mercia Police and the Home Office to continue to tackle organised crime across the country. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Police raid barbers and vape shops suspected of being fronts for crime gangs West Mercia Police National Crime Agency
Telegraph
11-04-2025
- Telegraph
Our broken immigration system is endangering our high streets
For years, 'fronts' have been operating in high streets across Britain in open sight – arousing much local suspicion but usually facing little to nothing in the shape of law-enforcement action. This is not simply an inner-city phenomenon – it is one that has affected towns such as Shrewsbury in Shropshire. However, there are signs that times are changing, with the National Crime Agency (NCA) launching 'Operation Machinize' – the first co-ordinated action of its kind by police, tax and immigration inspectors, and Trading Standards officers. Recently in Shrewsbury the latter witnessed West Mercia police officers batter down the back door of a barber shop and detain two men who were Kurdish asylum seekers. The police force revealed that its intelligence has led it to believe that the establishment was associated with illegal immigration, drug dealing, and the sale of illicit cigarettes and vapes. Detective Inspector Daniel Fenn, from West Mercia Police's Economic Crime team, said some barber shops have claimed income of £100,000 to £150,000 a month, but simply don't command the number of customers to back up this level of income generation - an all too familiar across Britain. Speaking on the NCA's 'Operation Machinize', which aims to crack down on money-laundering fronts, security minister Dan Jarvis spoke of how high-street crime 'undermines our security, our borders, and the confidence of our communities'. But it is much deeper than that. Britain's illegal immigration complex – incorporating 'fronts' for international criminal gangs which often take the shape of Turkish-style barbers, vape shops, and mini-marts – threatens to rip apart the social fabric of modern Britain. All this fuels resentment among established law-abiding communities which have seen their high streets descend into criminality – being taken over by international criminal enterprises who have reconverted these dilapidated and run-down areas into hubs of money-laundering activity. Town-centre disintegration has been a gift for exploitative gangs who have been provided with a steady supply of illegal migrants due to Britain's dysfunctional border-security system. Far stronger prison sentences need to be introduced and given to those who profit from Britain's illegal-immigration complex – including people smugglers and human traffickers, exploitative gang-leaders who knowingly employ illegal migrants, and unscrupulous landlords who house them in overcrowded and unsanitary properties. Additional punishments should be given in cases of modern slavery. While the British high street has suffered in the era of online shopping, the Labour Government should consider town-centre regeneration as an integral part of its economic policy. Revitalising high streets is not an easy task – but it must start with the crackdown on fronts of illegal activity. After that, improving public transport links, creating hybrid spaces, and fostering community ownership should all be part of an ambitious agenda to revive the high street into places of ethical commerce, social purpose, and civic pride.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Yahoo
Our broken immigration system is endangering our high streets
For years, 'fronts' have been operating in high streets across Britain in open sight – arousing much local suspicion but usually facing little to nothing in the shape of law-enforcement action. This is not simply an inner-city phenomenon – it is one that has affected towns such as Shrewsbury in Shropshire. However, there are signs that times are changing, with the National Crime Agency (NCA) launching 'Operation Machinize' – the first co-ordinated action of its kind by police, tax and immigration inspectors, and Trading Standards officers. Recently in Shrewsbury the latter witnessed West Mercia police officers batter down the back door of a barber shop and detain two men who were Kurdish asylum seekers. The police force revealed that its intelligence has led it to believe that the establishment was associated with illegal immigration, drug dealing, and the sale of illicit cigarettes and vapes. Detective Inspector Daniel Fenn, from West Mercia Police's Economic Crime team, said some barber shops have claimed income of £100,000 to £150,000 a month, but simply don't command the number of customers to back up this level of income generation - an all too familiar across Britain. Speaking on the NCA's 'Operation Machinize', which aims to crack down on money-laundering fronts, security minister Dan Jarvis spoke of how high-street crime 'undermines our security, our borders, and the confidence of our communities'. But it is much deeper than that. Britain's illegal immigration complex – incorporating 'fronts' for international criminal gangs which often take the shape of Turkish-style barbers, vape shops, and mini-marts – threatens to rip apart the social fabric of modern Britain. All this fuels resentment among established law-abiding communities which have seen their high streets descend into criminality – being taken over by international criminal enterprises who have reconverted these dilapidated and run-down areas into hubs of money-laundering activity. Town-centre disintegration has been a gift for exploitative gangs who have been provided with a steady supply of illegal migrants due to Britain's dysfunctional border-security system. Far stronger prison sentences need to be introduced and given to those who profit from Britain's illegal-immigration complex – including people smugglers and human traffickers, exploitative gang-leaders who knowingly employ illegal migrants, and unscrupulous landlords who house them in overcrowded and unsanitary properties. Additional punishments should be given in cases of modern slavery. While the British high street has suffered in the era of online shopping, the Labour Government should consider town-centre regeneration as an integral part of its economic policy. Revitalising high streets is not an easy task – but it must start with the crackdown on fronts of illegal activity. After that, improving public transport links, creating hybrid spaces, and fostering community ownership should all be part of an ambitious agenda to revive the high street into places of ethical commerce, social purpose, and civic pride. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
The Independent
11-04-2025
- The Independent
Hundreds of barbershops targeted by police operation against money laundering
Hundreds of barbershops have been targeted by police in a three-week crackdown on money laundering and modern slavery, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said. The NCA-co-ordinated operation saw police and other law enforcement officers visit 265 cash-intensive premises across England, including nail salons and vape shops, with 10 shops shut down and further closures expected. Operation Machinize targeted the venues in an effort to tackle 'high street crime' and prevent criminal gangs from using cash-intensive businesses to conceal the proceeds of crime, according to the NCA. The law enforcement agency said the crackdown resulted in 35 arrests, and 97 individuals suspected to be victims of modern slavery were placed under police protection. The NCA declined to say whether any of those arrested had been charged with an offence. 'We know cash-intensive businesses are used as fronts for money laundering, facilitating some of the highest harm and highest impact offending in the UK,' said Rachael Herbert, deputy director of the National Economic Crime Centre at the NCA. 'We have seen links to drug trafficking and distribution, organised immigration crime, modern slavery and human trafficking, firearms, and the sale of illicit tobacco and vapes. 'Operation Machinize targeted barbershops and other high street businesses being used as cover for a whole range of criminality, all across the country.' During the course of the operation, which involved 19 different police forces and regional organised crime units, officers secured freezing orders over bank accounts totalling more than £1 million. They also seized more than £40,000 in cash, some 200,000 cigarettes, 7,000 packs of tobacco, and more than 8,000 illegal vapes, the NCA said. Officers also found two cannabis farms containing a total of 150 plants. The NCA estimates that £12 billion of criminal cash is generated in the UK each year. The agency said in a statement: 'Cash-intensive businesses such as barbershops, vape shops, nail bars, American-themed sweet shops and car washes are often used by criminals to conceal the origins of illicit cash. 'Crime gangs use them to enter cash into the financial system, mixing legitimate funds with criminal profits to hinder subsequent law enforcement investigations. 'They are known to buy such businesses using the proceeds of crime, which provides them with a legitimate income and opportunities for money laundering.' Security minister Dan Jarvis said: 'High street crime undermines our security, our borders, and the confidence of our communities, and I am determined to take the decisive action necessary to bring those responsible to justice. 'This successful NCA-led operation highlights the scale and complexity of the criminality our towns and cities face and demonstrates our collective determination to make our streets safer, a key pillar of this Government's plan for change. 'We will continue to support the NCA, and other law enforcement partners, as we make the UK an even more hostile environment for organised crime.'
The Independent
11-04-2025
- The Independent
Why barbershops are often used as fronts for money laundering
Hundreds of barbershops have been targeted in Operation Machinize, a nationwide crackdown on money laundering and modern slavery across England and Wales Coordinated by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and involving police and law enforcement officers, the operation led to 35 arrests and the safeguarding of 97 potential modern slavery victims. Authorities seized more than £40,000 in cash, 200,000 cigarettes, 7,000 packs of tobacco, and 8,000 illegal vapes and discovered two cannabis farms. Freezing orders were also placed on bank accounts exceeding £1 million. The NCA aims to disrupt criminal gangs who use cash-intensive businesses, like barbershops, nail salons and vape stores, to launder money from crimes. Security Minister Dan Jarvis affirmed the government's commitment to combating high street crime and making the UK an even more hostile environment for organised crime.
