Overview

• Operation Machinize, a three-week multi-agency crackdown, targeted 265 cash-intensive businesses suspected of laundering criminal proceeds.
• Authorities seized over £40,000 in cash, 200,000 cigarettes, 7,000 packs of tobacco, 8,000 illegal vapes, and uncovered two cannabis farms with 150 plants.
• The operation led to 35 arrests and provided police protection to 97 individuals believed to be victims of modern slavery.
• Ten businesses have been shut down so far, with further closures anticipated as investigations continue.
• The National Crime Agency highlighted links between targeted businesses and organized crime, including drug trafficking, human trafficking, and the sale of illicit goods.