£10,000 Seized During Multi-Agency Visits in Cumbria

Officers from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU), working in partnership with the Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service and Trading Standards, carried out visits to two premises in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria as part of Operation Machinize - an ongoing National Crime Agency-coordinated operation to tackle money laundering and criminal use of cash-intensive high street businesses.

Trading Standards officers, supported by cash and drug detection dogs, searched The Strand Car Wash and Car Sales with the assistance of cash and drugs detection dogs. No illicit items were found, and the car wash owner later attended the site, cooperating fully with the search and providing access to locked safes and cabinets.

During the visit, officers were made aware of a second car wash adjacent to the site, the IMO Car Wash, operated by a female associate. Officers attended the premises, where a legal worker disclosed that approximately £10,000 in cash was concealed inside a car cleaning liquid container.

The cash was seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) by officers from NWROCU’s PECT team.

A hearing is scheduled to take place this afternoon (Friday 10 October) at Warrington Magistrates’ Court.

Detective Chief Inspector Chris Maddocks from the NWROCU said:

"This seizure is a strong example of how collaborative enforcement action can disrupt suspected criminal activity. Operation Machinize is focused on identifying and dismantling the financial infrastructure that enables organised crime to thrive. We will continue working with partners to target those who seek to exploit legitimate businesses for illegal gain."