Published by Robert L Senior Reporter on Wednesday 2nd April 2025, at 16:00hrs
A major police operation targeting criminal gangs using barbershops as fronts for fraud, money laundering, and the sale of illicit goods has resulted in significant seizures and arrests across the West Mercia region.
Operation Machinize, conducted throughout March, saw West Mercia Police, in collaboration with Trading Standards, West Midlands Fire and Rescue, Immigration, and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), execute 33 warrants across three counties.
The operation focused on disrupting organised crime groups exploiting seemingly legitimate barbershops to conceal their illegal financial activities.
The coordinated effort yielded substantial results, with police seizing over £500,000 in suspected illegal funds and £16,000 in cash.
Four individuals were arrested in connection with the operation.
Additionally, Trading Standards executed three warrants, and Immigration made three further arrests.
Detective Inspector Dan Fenn, from West Mercia Police’s Economic Crime team, highlighted the tactics employed by these criminal networks.
“Organised crime groups are opportunistic and exploit legitimate businesses, such as barbershops, to hide their illegal cash flow. The high cash turnover of these businesses makes them ideal for disguising illicit activities,” he stated.
West Mercia Police’s Economic Crime Unit has emerged as a national leader in combating financial crime, seizing over £6 million in criminal assets since April 2024.
This significant disruption to criminal financial networks underscores the unit’s commitment to dismantling organised crime.
“Our work during Operation Machinize sends a clear message to these crime networks: we will not tolerate criminal activity in our communities,” said Detective Inspector Fenn.
The operation has also generated a wealth of intelligence, with 34 intelligence reports submitted to aid future investigations.
Crucially, community intelligence played a vital role in the success of Operation Machinize.
“Some of the information used to plan these raids came from public tip-offs. That local support is invaluable, and we encourage anyone with information about businesses involved in money laundering to report it,” added Detective Inspector Fenn.
Operation Machinize falls under the broader framework of Operation Target, which focuses on four key strategies:
* Pursue: Prosecuting and disrupting those involved in serious organised crime.
* Prevent: Stopping individuals from becoming involved in organised crime.
* Protect: Strengthening defences against organised crime threats.
* Prepare: Reducing the impact of organised crime when it occurs.
West Mercia Police urges members of the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity.
Anyone with information about businesses involved in fraud, money laundering, or the sale of illicit goods is encouraged to report it online or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online.
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