In October 2026, police and partners visited or raided 3,029 premises, seized £2.2 million (about $2.9 million) in cash and obtained orders freezing £3.7 million (about $4.9 million) in bank accounts.
In its 11 November 2026 account, the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) reported 349 arrests in the latest phase of Operation Machinize, a nationwide campaign against suspected laundering through cash-intensive businesses. An earlier phase resulted in more than 900 arrests and inspections of over 2,700 businesses.
In October 2026, police and partners visited or raided 3,029 premises, seized £2.2 million (about $2.9 million) in cash and obtained orders freezing £3.7 million (about $4.9 million) in bank accounts.
The premises visited or raided included barbershops and vape stores, OCCRP said. The agency also identified or prevented £4.2 million (about $5.6 million) in duty tax evasion and seized illicit goods worth £6.8 million (about $9 million).
The NCA and the National Police Chiefs’ Council coordinated the October action, which involved every UK police force and other enforcement agencies. The NCA said the campaign first focused on barbers and similar shops used as fronts for laundering, then on the grey economy. The latest phase increasingly targets the people and networks behind the businesses, including the criminals who profit most.
Sal Melki, the NCA’s deputy director of illicit finance, said identifying directors and criminal beneficiaries behind suspect shops is more complex than identifying the premises. He said the agency and its partners are developing capabilities to identify them, shut down their operations and take their criminal profits. The agency said October was the third iteration of the crackdown and that the operation now runs year-round. Its coordination team will continue to share intelligence, support police forces and coordinate the national response, using public and private data, including intelligence from financial institutions.
The NCA estimates that at least £1 billion in criminal cash is laundered each year through cash-intensive high-street businesses in the UK. Melki said enforcement alone cannot solve the problem and that work on policies, powers and investment is also needed.
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