British police have arrested more than 920 people in a nationwide crackdown on crimes linked to high street businesses such as mini-marts, vape shops, barbers and takeaways. Authorities described the operation as the "largest of its kind.”
In a statement released Tuesday, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said the operation led to the seizure of more than 10.7 million pounds ($14.07 million) in suspected criminal proceeds, raids of 2,734 businesses, and the arrests of 924 individuals. Police also seized 70 kilograms of cannabis, 111,000 illegal vapes, 4.5 million illegal cigarettes, and 622 kilograms of illicit tobacco.
Rachael Herbert, director of the National Economic Crime Centre at the NCA, said the ongoing operation “targets businesses on our high street that are being used as cover for a wide range of criminality”. Security Minister Dan Jarvis added that such shops are being used as “fronts for serious organised crime, money laundering and illegal working.”
