In a crackdown dubbed Operation Machinize, the National Crime Agency (NCA) froze over £1m in bank accounts and raided 265 high street businesses, including barbershops, uncovering cannabis farms and evidence of modern slavery. The operation, which involved 35 arrests and the safeguarding of 97 individuals, aimed to combat money laundering linked to cash-intensive businesses while seizing over £40,000 in cash, illegal vapes, and tobacco products. Security Minister Dan Jarvis emphasized the seriousness of high street crime, which undermines community safety and confidence.
