The Rolex watch and £50k in wads of cash found by police after storming homes

Over £180,000 worth of jewellery, watches and vehicles, along with a further £50k in wads of cash were seized by police who stormed homes in Greater Manchester on Thursday (October 3).

Serious organised crime cops and economic crime unit officers burst through the doors of homes in Manchester as part of a crackdown on money laundering.

Nine men, aged between, 36 and 63, were arrested on suspicion of money laundering, fraud and organised immigration crime offences. They are in custody to be quizzed by cops.

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The raids followed an investigation into suspects thought to have been involved in 'high level money laundering' offences spanning at least three years, GMP said. The individuals arrested are believed to be known to each other.

The group are suspected to have profited from organised immigration crime in Manchester by producing fake identities and businesses in an attempt to money launder their profits.

A total of 12 properties were searched before items of jewellery, watches and vehicles, estimated to be worth in excess of £180,000 were seized along with £50,000 in wads of cash.

More than 100 officers and support staff gathered at police headquarters in Newton Heath just before 5am before splitting up and raiding the homes across Manchester, Bury and Trafford.

Detective Superintendent Andy Buckthorpe who leads our Economic Crime Unit, said it was suspected the group had been involved in laundering up to the value of £40 million, with cash moved through bank accounts both nationally and internationally.

“We remain robust in our approach to tackling money laundering, and the action today is part of longstanding approach to ensuring that we are tackling economic crime head on using all resources available to us," he added.

“Today’s action will definitely cause disruption among criminal networks within Greater Manchester as they wake up and hear this news, and hopefully this action today will be reassuring to those members of the public who are rightly concerned by money laundering in our communities.

“As a unit, our focus will always remain on dismantling organised criminal finances and we will work with this same momentum, seizing cash and assets from those who wish to harm our communities and we are asking the public to remain vigilant and if you see, or suspect something is wrong, tell us, and we can do something about it."