The UK government has launched a £20 million specialist National Crime Agency unit targeting high street businesses suspected of laundering criminal cash.

Police figures published this week showed organised retail crime investigations had already led to 257 arrests and more than 118 years of prison sentences over the past two years.

The Home Office said the new unit would coordinate investigations into vape stores, barber shops, mini-marts and sweet shops believed to be linked to organised crime, counterfeit goods, tax evasion and illegal working. The NCA and police forces in Greater Manchester, the West Midlands, Kent and Essex will recruit 75 officers, while trading standards teams will receive an additional £6m for enforcement activity in higher-risk areas.

According to the Home Office, the funding comes from a £30 million allocation announced by chancellor Rachel Reeves in last November’s Budget. The NCA estimates that at least £12 billion of criminal cash is generated annually in the UK, with about £1 billion laundered through high street businesses.

The Guardian reported that coordinated raids under Operation Machinize 2 targeted more than 2,700 premises and resulted in 924 arrests. Police seized £10.7 million in suspected illegal proceeds, alongside 111,000 illegal vapes, 70kg of cannabis and 4.5m illegal cigarettes.

Home secretary Shabana Mahmood said criminal gangs had “exploited our high streets to launder their dirty money and undercut honest businesses”. She added that the government was “hitting back with a nationwide crackdown” to shut down criminal fronts and remove organised crime from high streets.

Separate figures published by Opal, the national intelligence unit for serious organised acquisitive crime, showed that its organised retail crime team had supported 203 referrals from retailers and police forces since its launch in May 2024. The unit, funded by the Home Office and the Pegasus Partnership, carried out 84 operations targeting organised criminal gangs.

Opal said 605 offenders had been identified, with 22 deportations carried out and a 73 per cent reduction in offending among organised crime groups monitored by the unit. Stephanie Coombes said the results demonstrated “a clear impact in disrupting these high-harm networks”.

Amanda Blakeman, Chief Constable. North Wales Police, said the additional funding would help police focus on “disrupting those at the top of the OCG hierarchy, targeting the disposal of goods and the threat on supply chains”. Sussex police and crime commissioner Katy Bourne said closer cooperation between retailers and police had produced “some significant blows to organised retail crime gangs”.

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