Four arrested on suspicion of money smuggling

Four people, one in Dover, and three in London, were arrested by the National Crime Agency

Four people have been arrested on suspicion of smuggling cash from the UK into Albania.

National Crime Agency (NCA) officers, who arrested the four on Saturday, seized hundreds of thousands of pounds which it believes was being laundered.

About £200,000 was seized in Dover from a 48-year-old man's vehicle, which was allegedly en route to Albania.

The man was arrested, and two other men and a 17-year-old boy were later held at an address at Tottenham Hale in North London, where £150,000 was seized.

The man arrested in Dover has been released on conditional bail

The investigation began in February 2022 after Border Force officers stopped the 48-year-old at the outbound Channel Tunnel controls at Folkestone, Kent.

On that occasion, inside his Mercedes Sprinter van, which was bound for Tirana, officers found a total of £390,000 wrapped in various tin foil packages.

His home in Haringey, London, was searched and officers discovered a further £150,000 in cash.

The man was under investigation until he was arrested again on Saturday, but has since been released on conditional bail.

NCA operations manager Paul Orchard said: “Money launderers enable other serious and organised criminals – such as drugs and firearms dealers - to commit their horrendous offences which so badly damage our society.

“The purpose of organised crime is to make money, so by going after it and those who launder it, we are targeting the heart of the criminal business model.”