Nine arrested and £50k cash seized in early morning disruption as GMP bid to tackle suspected money laundering

Image courtesy of GMP

While many were just waking up this morning (Thursday), Greater Manchester Police's Economic Crime Unit were already out making nine arrests as a number of warrants were executed simultaneously as part of a money laundering operation.

The warrants were conducted by the Economic Crime Unit alongside additional resources taken from across the force, including its Tactical Aid Unit, Serious Organised Crime Group and the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU).

Nine men between the ages of 36 and 63 have been arrested on suspicion of money laundering, fraud and organised immigration crime offences.

Today’s arrests are the culmination of a lengthy investigation into individuals suspected of being involved in high level money laundering offences spanning at least three years.

The group are suspected to have profited from organised immigration crime in Manchester by producing fake identities and businesses in an attempt to money launder their criminal profits.

The nine men remain in custody ahead of being questioned by detectives from GMP’s Economic Crime Unit.

A total of 12 properties across Manchester have been searched and items of jewellery, watches and vehicles estimated to be worth in excess of £180,000 have been seized along with £50,000 in cash. 

Detective Superintendent Andy Buckthorpe, who leads our Economic Crime Unit, said: “As a unit we have worked extremely hard to get to a point where we can execute these warrants.

“We remain robust in our approach to tackling money laundering, and the action today is part of longstanding approach to ensuring that we are tackling economic crime head on using all resources available to us.

“Today’s action will definitely cause disruption among criminal networks within Greater Manchester as they wake up and hear this news, and hopefully this action today will be reassuring to those members of the public who are rightly concerned by money laundering in our communities.

“As a unit, our focus will always remain on dismantling organised criminal finances and we will work with this same momentum, seizing cash and assets from those who wish to harm our communities.

"We are asking the public to remain vigilant and if you see, or suspect something is wrong, tell us, and we can do something about it."

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