In a show of force for cross-agency collaboration, the National Crime Agency (NCA) has spearheaded a widespread crackdown on high street crime with Operation Machinize, focusing on barbershops and other cash-incentive businesses that are suspected of being used for money laundering and modern slavery.
During a three-week period, enforcement officers in England and Wales visited 265 premises, resulting in 35 arrests, 84 warrants, and bank account freezing orders totalling more than £1 million. The operation uncovered large-scale criminal activity including immigration offences, modern slavery concerns, and the concealment of criminal funds.
Police safeguarded 97 people who were suspected to be victims of modern slavery and questioned a further 55 people about their immigration status. Enforcement teams also confiscated:
- £40,000 in cash
- 200,000 cigarettes
- 7,000 packets of tobacco
- More than 8,000 illegal vapes
- Two automobiles vehicles
- Two cannabis farms containing 150 plants
Ten companies were shut down, with additional closures anticipated as investigations are ongoing.
High street crime: A gateway to organised crime
The operation demonstrates how seemingly ordinary businesses—barbers, vape stores, nail bars, candy shops, and car washes—are being used by criminal organisations. These cash businesses are being used as fronts to launder criminal proceeds into the legitimate financial system, making it harder for law enforcement agencies to track illicit money.
Rachael Herbert, Deputy Director of the National Economic Crime Centre within the NCA, said:
“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.
Operation Machinize targeted barbershops and other high street businesses being used as cover for a whole range of criminality, all across the country.”
A systemic, coordinated response
The crackdown involved 19 police forces, the regional organised crime units, and national agencies such as HMRC, Trading Standards, and Home Office Immigration Enforcement. It was coordinated by the National Economic Crime Centre, which gave intelligence and funded local operations.
Security Minister Dan Jarvis praised the NCA’s efforts:
“High street crime undermines our security, our borders, and the confidence of our communities.
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.”
How Neopay can help
At Neopay, we welcome these efforts to tackle financial crime at its source. As regulatory and compliance specialists for payment and e-money firms, we recognise the importance for due diligence, transaction monitoring, and robust AML controls.
Operations such as Machinize are a welcome reminder that money laundering doesn’t only occur through complex international structures. It frequently starts on the high street, in plain sight. Compliance regimes need to respond accordingly, with risk assessments that are proactive and substantive continuous monitoring.
If your business needs support in strengthening its anti-financial crime framework, Neopay is here to help.
