More than 300 people have been arrested across the UK, including 57 migrants who crossed the English Channel in small boats, during a nationwide operation targeting illegal trade, organised immigration crime and illegal working.
The five day operation, carried out between June 15 and June 20, resulted in 362 arrests and the seizure of more than £1 million in cash, according to the National Police Chiefs’ Council.
Officers also confiscated illegal tobacco, cigarettes and vapes worth more than £700,000 on the black market, along with drugs, vehicles and electric bikes.
The raids focused on businesses including barber shops, vape shops, car washes, food production sites and nail salons. Police said these businesses are frequently exploited by organised crime groups to hide illegal workers, exploit vulnerable migrants and launder criminal profits.
The operation involved most police forces across the UK working alongside the Home Office, Immigration Enforcement, Trading Standards and other enforcement agencies.
Border Security and Asylum Minister Alex Norris described the operation as an example of effective cooperation between police, immigration officers and partner agencies to disrupt organised criminal networks.
The latest crackdown follows the government’s announcement in May of a new £30 million High Street crime unit. The specialist team was created after a BBC investigation uncovered widespread criminal activity linked to some mini markets, vape shops and barber shops across the country.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council said the operation demonstrates a coordinated effort to tackle organised crime groups that profit from illegal working, human exploitation and illicit trade.
Deputy Chief Constable Wendy Gunney, who leads the national task force on organised immigration crime, said the operation sends a strong message that law enforcement agencies are working together to dismantle criminal networks and bring offenders before the courts.
She added that authorities are also considering civil penalties against business owners and others found to have employed migrants illegally.
Government figures show that 11,638 people had arrived in the UK in small boats by June 26 this year. That is 37 per cent lower than the number recorded during the same period in 2025.
