Nearly 1,000 people have been arrested across the UK as part of a nationwide crackdown targeting criminal activity in local shops.

The month-long operation, codenamed Operation Machinize 2, was led by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and involved coordinated raids on thousands of small businesses suspected of being used to launder illicit profits.

During October, authorities visited or raided 2,734 premises, arrested 924 individuals, and seized more than £10.7 million ($14 million) in suspected criminal proceeds.

They also destroyed £2.7 million worth of illicit goods, including 70 kilograms (154 pounds) of cannabis, 111,000 illegal vapes, 4.5 million cigarettes, and 622 kilograms (1,371 pounds) of illicit tobacco – equivalent to £3.5 million ($4.4 million) in evaded taxes, according to officials.

Officials also issued 341 referral notices for illegal working and renting, which could result in fines of up to £60,000 per illegal worker and £20,000 per tenant for landlords found liable.

More than 450 companies were flagged for possible irregularities.

The NCA described the operation as the largest of its kind, aimed at “rooting out the economic crime and grey economy that makes our high streets less safe and prosperous.”

Criminal cash laundered through small, cash-based businesses

The agency estimates that around £12 billion ($15.2 billion) of criminal cash is generated in the UK each year, much of it laundered through small, cash-based businesses such as mini-marts, vape shops, nail salons, car washes, and barbershops.

According to the NCA, these businesses are also linked to other criminal activities, including drug trafficking, tax evasion, and even modern slavery.

Rachael Herbert, director of the National Economic Crime Centre at the NCA, said the operation “targets businesses on our high street that are being used as cover for a wide range of criminality, making our communities less safe and less prosperous.”

“Depriving criminals of their source of income has a real impact -- limiting the amount of funds they can reinvest in further offending and deterring them from taking spaces on our high street that could be used by legitimate businesses,” she added.

Sal Melki, the NCA’s senior lead for the operation, said Machinize 2 had “pioneered a whole-system approach” by bringing together multiple agencies under one operational cell.

“The scale of this challenge is significant, but it is also important to remember that the majority of shops on our high streets are not considered suspicious,” he said. “We acknowledge the problem won’t be solved overnight or through disruptive action alone -- today’s high street is subject to many socio-economic factors beyond the scope of a law enforcement partnership.”

Security Minister Dan Jarvis said criminals were “using these dodgy shops as fronts for serious organized crime, money laundering and illegal working, risking the future of the British high street.”

“We have intensified our joint efforts with law enforcement to dismantle criminal networks and relentlessly pursue those who use dirty money for personal gain,” he said. (ANADOLU AGENCY)