Minister vows crackdown as UK raids hit criminal high street shops

Louise Haigh didn't mince words after police kicked in doors across Surrey. The minister said rogue businesses tied to money laundering, illegal working and organised crime have been left to operate too openly for too long, calling them a blight on British high streets.

The Surrey raids netted one arrest plus a haul of illicit tobacco and cigarettes. Fire service inspectors also slapped enforcement notices on premises where people were found sleeping — a setup authorities say often signals worker exploitation, modern slavery or immigration offences. The action was part of Operation Machinize, a national push against economic crime on the high street.

The National Crime Agency is running the show, and Sal Melki says the net is widening. He told the BBC that directors and figures further up the chain are now in the crosshairs, with more than 3,000 raids and 1,000 arrests logged since the operation launched in 2025. Authorities have seized or restrained over £10m and destroyed nearly £3m of illicit goods.

Haigh framed the crackdown as a test of whether politics delivers. She told the BBC that people lose faith when criminality thrives on their streets, and that they have every right to ask what the point of politicians is if nothing changes. Fixing the everyday frustrations, she said, is the job.

Melki is under no illusions about the timeline, saying it will take years to turn the tide. The NCA estimates more than £100bn is laundered through the UK and its corporate structures annually, with £1bn of that flowing through the high street.