Hundreds of high street businesses across the UK, including barbershops, nail salons, and vape shops, have been targeted in a sweeping national crackdown on money laundering, modern slavery, and organised crime.
In a coordinated operation led by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and involving 19 police forces and regional crime units, 265 cash-intensive businesses were raided over a three-week period as part of Operation Machinize.
The crackdown resulted in 35 arrests, the identification of 97 suspected victims of modern slavery, and the seizure or freezing of assets worth over £1 million.
UK authorities also confiscated £40,000 in cash, 200,000 illicit cigarettes, 7,000 packs of tobacco, 8,000 illegal vapes, and uncovered two cannabis farms containing a total of 150 plants.
Among the targeted establishments were many Turkish-style barbershops, a familiar presence on UK high streets. While many are legitimate businesses, security officials have long raised concerns that Albanian and Kurdish criminal gangs are exploiting some as fronts for human trafficking, forced labour, and the distribution of drugs.
Rachael Herbert, Deputy Director of the National Economic Crime Centre, said: “Cash-intensive businesses are frequently used as a façade for money laundering and serious organised crime. We’ve found clear links to drug trafficking, immigration crime, modern slavery, and the trade of illicit goods such as firearms, tobacco, and counterfeit vapes.”
According to the NCA, criminal networks often purchase high street businesses using proceeds of crime, enabling them to funnel illicit funds into the financial system and obscure their illegal origins.
These operations blend criminal earnings with legitimate revenue, complicating investigations and helping gangs sustain their illegal activities under a veneer of respectability.
In total, the NCA estimates that £12 billion in criminal cash is generated within the UK each year.
In addition to barbershops, other cash-based businesses targeted during the operation included American-themed sweet shops, car washes, and nail bars—sectors that have long been under scrutiny for facilitating illicit activity.
Security Minister Dan Jarvis welcomed the success of the operation, stating: “High street crime damages our communities, threatens border integrity, and erodes public confidence. This operation reflects our government’s commitment to creating safer streets and making the UK an increasingly hostile environment for organised crime.”
More business closures are expected as investigations continue, with law enforcement agencies vowing to maintain pressure on criminal enterprises embedded in UK towns and cities.
