The government has announced a new specialist unit to crack down on retail outlets suspected of laundering criminal money. Vape stores, barbers, mini-marts and sweet shops are among those targeted, with an estimated £1bn per year laundered through such businesses, according to officials.
A £20m National Crime Agency (NCA) cell will coordinate investigations and raids into UK businesses believed to act as fronts for gangsters. The Home Office said the NCA and police forces in Greater Manchester, the West Midlands, Kent and Essex will recruit 75 officers to boost the effort.
Trading standards departments will receive an extra £6m to bolster the response in at-risk local authorities. New training will help officers identify suspicious businesses, strengthen compliance and boost enforcement. The cash comes from a £30m pot set aside by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in last November's budget.
The NCA estimates at least £12bn of criminal cash is generated in the UK each year, with £1bn laundered through high street businesses. Some outlets are also linked to the sale of fake goods, tax evasion, illegal working and illegal drug supply. Up to half of convenience stores and vape retailers in some areas are suspected of links with organised crime, according to trading standards.
A new High Street Organised Crime Unit, chaired by Security Minister Dan Jarvis, has been established to bring together government departments, policing partners and trading standards. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: 'Criminal gangs have exploited our high streets to launder their dirty money and undercut honest businesses. We are hitting back with a nationwide crackdown to shut these fronts down, seize dirty cash and drive organised crime off our high streets and put bosses behind bars.'
