A Porsche, a BMW and a Rolex watch were among the high value seizures made by law enforcement as part of a huge nationwide crackdown on fraudsters. Police forces across the country worked together to launch the operation.
In total 438 people were arrested, with cash and assets totalling almost £14 million being seized by officers. Greater Manchester Police and the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit were involved in the joint operation to tackle fraud, which is currently the most common crime type reported according to the Crime Survey of England and Wales.
As part of the crackdown across February and March, given the codename Operation Henhouse, Lancashire Police seized an £80,000 Porsche and a £70,000 BMW was seized by the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit. A £15,000 Rolex watch and expensive designer clothing were among the seizures made by the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit. Merseyside Police made 10 arrests and seized £548,000 in cash.
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GMP were also involved in a Police Scotland operation which led to the arrest and charge of two men in connection with an alleged fraudulent banking scheme. While in Wales, police executed six warrants across Cardiff, arresting two men on suspicion of money laundering and gambling act offences. Six poker tables, a spinning prize wheel, poker coins and chips, and multiple flat screen televisions were seized.
Adrian Searle, director of the National Economic Crime Centre, within the National Crime Agency, said: “Henhouse is proof of what policing and wider law enforcement across the UK can achieve when we come together. The emotional harm that fraud causes is
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