Criminal Hair Cuts
"Police officers smash through the back doors of a bright, modern barber shop in the market town of Shrewsbury.
Inside they immediately detain two men - who we are later told are Kurdish asylum seekers. Both men are later released.
It is the first of six raids that day where police seize thousands of pounds in cash and illicit vapes.
The officers are here with a warrant to search the premises because of suspected money laundering. They say their intelligence also suggests the shop is linked to sale of illicit cigarettes and vapes, illegal immigration and drug-dealing.
Det Insp Daniel Fenn, on his ninth raid of the week, says some barber shops such as this are claiming income of £100,000 to £150,000 a month. "They aren't getting that amount of customers to warrant that amount of money."
CCTV in other barbers that have been raided has shown they do not have many customers, so footage of this one will also be examined, DI Fenn says.
The raid in Shrewsbury was one of 265 carried out across England last month as part of a crackdown on High Street businesses - often Turkish-style barbers, vape shops and mini-marts - suspected of being fronts for international crime gangs.
Politicians and members of the public have raised concerns about many of these businesses which have boomed even while High Streets appear to be in decline. The average number of barbers per person in England and Wales has doubled in the past 10 years, according to commercial property analysts Green Street."
BBC NEWS REPORT
Other businesses of interest - Nail bars / glamour tanning shops / fast food outlets ... any more you can add?
Inside they immediately detain two men - who we are later told are Kurdish asylum seekers. Both men are later released.
It is the first of six raids that day where police seize thousands of pounds in cash and illicit vapes.
The officers are here with a warrant to search the premises because of suspected money laundering. They say their intelligence also suggests the shop is linked to sale of illicit cigarettes and vapes, illegal immigration and drug-dealing.
Det Insp Daniel Fenn, on his ninth raid of the week, says some barber shops such as this are claiming income of £100,000 to £150,000 a month. "They aren't getting that amount of customers to warrant that amount of money."
CCTV in other barbers that have been raided has shown they do not have many customers, so footage of this one will also be examined, DI Fenn says.
The raid in Shrewsbury was one of 265 carried out across England last month as part of a crackdown on High Street businesses - often Turkish-style barbers, vape shops and mini-marts - suspected of being fronts for international crime gangs.
Politicians and members of the public have raised concerns about many of these businesses which have boomed even while High Streets appear to be in decline. The average number of barbers per person in England and Wales has doubled in the past 10 years, according to commercial property analysts Green Street."
BBC NEWS REPORT
Other businesses of interest - Nail bars / glamour tanning shops / fast food outlets ... any more you can add?
