Norfolk County Council's Trading Standards officers, working with Norfolk Police and other agencies, targeted "cash-intensive" businesses such as hand car washes, mini-marts, barber shops and cafés.

Officials say these premises were believed to be used as fronts to launder illicit funds as part of a criminal network.

More than 2,700 high street businesses including barbers, minimarts and vape shops have been raided in the biggest ever crackdown of its kind on money-laundering. Issue date: Tuesday November 11, 2025. (Image: National Crime Agency)

Norfolk’s operation, targeting high street businesses across the county over several days last month, resulted in seven arrests by officers from Immigration Enforcement for illegal working and overstaying.

Officers carried out 18 visits as part of Operation Machinize2.

The raids were part of an ongoing National Crime Agency-coordinated national operation to tackle money laundering and criminal use of high street businesses.

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