Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which areas in the UK are most prevalent for money laundering activity (a) Turkish barbers and (b) other organisations.

Regional Organised Crime Units and police forces across England and Wales have identified cash intensive business such as barbershops being exploited by criminals seeking to launder money. In March, the National Economic Crime Centre coordinated a three-week crackdown against barbershops and other cash intensive business involving 19 different police forces and Regional Organised Crime Units, as well as national agencies including HMRC, Trading Standards and Home Office Immigration Enforcement. In total, 380 premises were visited across the three-week operation, with officers securing freezing orders over bank accounts totalling more than £1m, executing 84 warrants and arrested 35 individuals. Officers also seized more than £40,000 in cash, 200,000 cigarettes, 7,000 packs of tobacco, over 8,000 illegal vapes and two vehicles.

This is the first phase of targeted action against criminals and organised crime groups who use high-street businesses to launder criminal funds, and the NECC is committed to continue working with Policing and partners across the UK to reduce this threat.