PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: Authorities in the United Kingdom have conducted raids on several barber shops allegedly involved in laundering drug money. Tens of thousands of pounds have been seized.
👥 Who’s Involved: The National Crime Agency (NCA) is spearheading the operation with support from local police, immigration officials, and His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.
📍 Where & When: Raids occurred over the past month across multiple British towns and cities.
💬 Key Quote: “Intelligence linking the use of barber shops, as well as other cash-intensive businesses, to money laundering and other criminality has risen in recent years,” noted an NCA spokesman.
⚠️ Impact: The raids aim to curb criminal activity linked to organized crime through increased scrutiny of cash-intensive enterprises such as barber shops.
IN FULL:
British authorities have launched a series of raids on “Turkish” barber shops suspected of money laundering and other illicit activities. Led by the National Crime Agency (NCA), the operations have recovered tens of thousands of pounds from various shops across the country over the past month.
Barber shops, most often labeled as “Turkish” but managed by individuals of different nationalities, are being scrutinized for their cash-only operations. These shops reportedly serve as fronts for money laundering, tax evasion, and illegal employment of migrants. In some instances, inspectors have observed a discrepancy between the declared earnings and the customer activity, noting that multiple barber shops on the same street were reporting high income despite appearing empty.
The proliferation of barber shops in Britain has been noteworthy, with over 750 outlets opening last year alone. There are currently more than 18,000 barber shops across the country, a 15 percent rise since 2018. Intelligence linking cash-intensive businesses like barber shops to organized crime has recently increased.
The growing preponderance of barber shops, vape shops, phone repair stores, and other questionably viable businesses on British streets, usually run by migration-background operators, and the likelihood they are fronts for criminal enterprises has become a significant talking point among the online right.
In 2022, Hewa Rehimpur, a former London barber involved in a human smuggling network, was apprehended for trafficking offenses. This pan-European ring allegedly trafficked thousands of migrants to the United Kingdom on small boats across the English Channel. Rehimpur is now serving an 11-year sentence in Belgium following his extradition and trial.
