Officers from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA) Criminal Enforcement Unit have arrested two people after raiding a country estate near Northampton, recovering around 12,000 doses of unlicensed weight loss medicines in the largest ever seizure of such products by the agency.
During the operation, which was carried out last night (28 May 2026) with the support of Northamptonshire Police, two male suspects, both aged 29, were arrested on suspicion of offences under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. Enquiries are ongoing.
The property is believed to have been used as a large-scale facility to manufacture, assemble, and distribute unlicensed weight loss medicines, including retatrutide and tirzepatide, as well as peptide products.
Officers seized substantial quantities of packaging materials and what are believed to be pharmaceutical substances used in the illicit manufacture of the products.
Andy Morling, Head of the MHRA’s Criminal Enforcement Unit, said: “Last night’s hugely successful operation demonstrates, once again, the MHRA’s unwavering commitment to ensuring there is no hiding place for those who cynically put the public’s health at risk for profit. Medicines regulation isn’t discretionary – it exists to protect people.
“That’s why we continue to target the traffickers who seek to bypass that protection – taking down the infrastructure that supports them and creating a hostile environment for their exploitative and harmful trade. In addition to disrupting an organised criminal group, I’m confident that dismantling this illicit production facility will have prevented significant public harm.
“I’m enormously grateful to Northamptonshire Police for their support in this operation.”
This operation is the latest in a series of successful enforcement actions by the MHRA targeting the illegal supply of weight loss medicines. Over recent months, the agency’s Criminal Enforcement Unit has carried out several raids, dismantling criminal networks, and removing significant quantities of unlicensed and potentially dangerous products from circulation.
The MHRA remains committed to pursuing those who seek to exploit public demand for these medicines and will continue to use the full range of its powers to protect the public.
The MHRA #FakeMeds website offers helpful guidance and advice for staying safe when buying medicines online.
Anyone who suspects they are having a side effect from a medicine are encouraged to talk to their doctor, pharmacist or nurse and report it directly to the MHRA Yellow Card scheme.
A 41-year-old man has been jailed for organised crime and drug offences. William Byrne was sentenced to seven years and four months in prison at the High Court in Edinburgh today (Monday, 25 May, 2026).
At the same court on Wednesday, 15 April, 2026, he pleaded guilty to being involved in serious and organised crime.
Byrne was arrested in Portugal in October 2025 and later arrested and charged in connection with serious and organised crime offences on 25 November 2025 as part of a joint partnership with the National Crime Agency.
Detective Chief Inspector Laura Sands, said: “I hope this sentencing sends a message to those involved in serious and organised crime and drugs that you will be caught and you will face the consequences.
“Byrne’s involvement in this type of crime spanned across Europe and we worked with international partners, alongside law enforcement agencies in the UK and abroad, to ensure Byrne could be held accountable for his leading part in a sophisticated criminal enterprise, bringing drugs into our country with no regard for the harm and misery they cause.
“There is no place for this type of criminality in our communities and we will continue to work with partner agencies to tackle this and make our communities safer.”
Alan O’Brien, Branch Commander for the NCA in Scotland, said: “William Byrne is a dangerous criminal, working internationally with the aim of flooding Scotland with lethal drugs.
“The NCA worked closely with our law enforcement colleagues overseas and Police Scotland to track Byrne down and return him to the UK to face justice for his crimes.
“We will continue to work with partners to protect the public from serious and organised criminals like Byrne who cause harm to our local communities.”
Organised crime gangs will be hit with raids, shop closures, and cash seizures in a £30 million crackdown on dodgy high street shops
Organised crime gangs operating across Britain’s high streets will be hit with a major police offensive in a new nationwide crackdown on dodgy shops.
Rogue barber shops, vape stores, mini-marts and sweet shops linked to organised crime will face raids, closures and cash seizures under a new £30 million crackdown targeting money laundering, tax evasion, and illegal working over 3 years.
£20 million of funding will go towards an enhanced law enforcement response, including establishing a new multi-agency co-ordination cell based out of the National Crime Agency (NCA).
Police officers will also be uplifted across forces in hotspot regions. Altogether, 75 new police officers will be recruited across the NCA, Greater Manchester Police, West Midlands Police and a joint Kent Police and Essex Police Unit, to build intelligence at a national level and increase the number of dedicated officers tackling organised crime on the ground.
Trading Standards will also be backed with £6 million in new funding to bolster the response to sham businesses in at-risk local authorities. New officer training will be rolled out to identify suspicious businesses, strengthen business compliance, and boost enforcement.
A new High Street Organised Crime Unit has also been established to bring together government departments, policing partners, and Trading Standards. Together, the additional funding and new unit builds on strong enforcement action such as Operation Machinize, to boost the national and local response to targeting criminal networks operating in plain sight on Britain’s high streets.
Overseen by the Security Minister, Dan Jarvis, the unit will be responsible for identifying what more is needed – from stronger powers to better co-ordination – to stop this criminal activity from happening in the first place.
A rapid review of local responders’ powers is underway to explore how these can be strengthened, starting with a consultation on extending the duration of closure orders, where appropriate, to shut criminal businesses down for longer.
Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said: “Criminal gangs have exploited our high streets to launder their dirty money and undercut honest businesses.
“We are hitting back with a nationwide crackdown to shut these fronts down, seize dirty cash and drive organised crime off our high streets and put bosses behind bars”
It comes as the NCA estimate at least £12 billion of criminal cash is generated in the UK each year, with £1 billion laundered through high street businesses like mini-marts, barber shops, vape stores and sweet shops. Some businesses are also connected to the sale of fake goods, tax evasion, illegal working, and illegal drug supply.
Thousands of businesses are expected to be raided, hundreds of arrests made and millions in cash seized as a national intensification campaign will be put on permanent footing annually to drive co-ordinated enforcement across the country.
Sal Melki, Deputy Director of Illicit Finance at the National Crime Agency, said: “For the past 18 months, the NCA, in conjunction with policing partners, has led Operation Machinize, the largest operation against economic crime on our high streets.
“By bringing together policing, HMRC, Immigration Enforcement, Trading Standards, and other partners in a co-ordinated approach, over 950 people have been arrested and over £10 million worth of criminal value seized.
“This criminal activity makes our communities less safe and less prosperous. It undermines legitimate business, deprives public services of tax revenues, and fuels a range of predicate offences such as the drugs trade, illicit goods, trafficking, and organised immigration crime.
“We will not stop and having the support of the High Street Organised Crime Unit to grow the Machinize partnership will enable us to target and disrupt more high harm offenders.
“The HSOCU will be key to a whole of government response, where enforcement action is backed up with the laws, policies and powers required at all levels to get this criminal element out of our high streets.”
Lord Bichard, Chair, National Trading Standards, said: “Organised high street crime, including the illegal sale of tobacco and counterfeit goods, is damaging communities across the country.
“These criminal networks undercut honest businesses, draw money away from local economies and expose consumers to unregulated and potentially unsafe products. They are also often linked to wider offending, including money laundering, exploitation, and violence.
“The creation of a new High Street Organised Crime Unit will help drive a co-ordinated national response while strengthening local enforcement capability through additional support and funding for Trading Standards, police and partner agencies on the ground, who will work together to disrupt organised offenders, protect the public and support honest businesses that play by the rules.”
The latest Operation Machinize in November saw 2,734 premises visited and raided, 924 individuals arrested, over £13 million of suspected criminal proceeds seized or restrained, and more than £2.7 million worth of illicit commodities destroyed. It builds on the £300 million in criminal assets recovered by law enforcement last year, with money invested back to the front lines to support agencies leading the fight against crime.
The new National Police Service will go further by bringing together the National Crime Agency, Counter Terrorism Policing, and regional organised crime units’ capabilities to strengthen the response to serious and organised crime.
Deputy Commissioner Nik Adams, City of London Police and National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Financial Investigation and Asset Recovery, said: “Our high streets should be places where legitimate businesses can grow, not places where organised criminals hide behind shopfronts.
“This task force will harness the efforts of the National Crime Agency, national economic crime leads, local community policing, specialist officers and partners to target the businesses being used to launder criminal money, recover criminal assets and protect legitimate traders.
“Operation Machinize has shown that the most effective response comes when neighbourhood officers, financial investigators and national agencies work as one team. Local officers understand their communities and can identify suspicious activity, while financial investigators, the City of London Police as national lead force, and the NCA help connect that activity to the organised crime groups and the money flows behind it.
“The message to organised criminals is clear. If criminal cash is being pushed through high street businesses, policing and our partners will act. Through the High Street Organised Crime Unit, we will use intelligence, asset recovery and financial investigation to turn local disruption into lasting national impact.”
Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “The new High Street Organised Crime Unit will be welcome news for people across the country.
“Illegitimate businesses and retail theft are major issues and too often linked to criminal gang activity. Stolen goods are commonly funnelled through illicit supply chains and resold through unscrupulous businesses, helping fund further criminality. This harms businesses, puts colleagues at risk, and pushes up prices for honest shoppers.
“Tackling it requires prioritisation from police and government, and co-or2dination and intelligence sharing between retailers, law enforcement, and local partners. We look forward to working together to deliver real progress.”
John Herriman, Chief Executive of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, (CTSI), said: “CTSI welcomes the introduction of the High Street Organised Crime Unit, which will bring together partner agencies – including Trading Standards – to tackle organised criminality on our high streets.
“The proliferation of so called “dodgy shops” puts consumers at significant risk and undermines the legitimate businesses who drive economic growth across the UK. The new unit will bring a much-needed focus to help clamp down on a blight on our high streets and communities.”
Association of Convenience Stores Chief Executive Ed Woodall said: “Local shops tell us that rogue traders on high streets are causing massive damage to their businesses and the wider community, so we strongly welcome this Government action to back responsible retailers and crack down on the organised crime gangs that are fuelling the illicit trade.“
An MHRA-led investigation has exposed a £1.8 million illegal medicines and steroids network, leading to seven men being sentenced
Seven men have been sentenced after an investigation by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA) Criminal Enforcement Unit into a large-scale criminal network supplying illegal steroids and prescription-only medicines. The group received combined sentences totalling more than 21 years’ imprisonment.
The investigation began after UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) identified website linked to the Bolton area that were suspected of selling performance-enhancing steroids and other illegal medicines.
MHRA investigators traced the activity to a flat above commercial premises on St Helens Road, which was being used to store, package, and distribute the drugs.
During enforcement action, officers seized more than 130,000 doses of steroids and unauthorised medicines that were being sold by mail order. These included products such as tamoxifen, finasteride and modafinil, highlighting the scale and complexity of the illegal supply network. Further searches across Bolton led to a number of arrests.
Following a detailed investigation, several individuals were charged with offences including conspiracy to supply controlled drugs, supplying unauthorised medicines, and money laundering to the value of over £1.8 million.
Tim Duffield, MHRA Head of Intelligence said: ““This was a well-organised operation that put people at real risk. Medicines bought outside regulated channels can be unsafe, ineffective or fake.
“Our investigators worked hard to break up this criminal network and bring those responsible to justice. These convictions are just part of the MHRA’s ongoing work to tackle the illegal trade in medicines and protect public health.”
Mario Theophanous, UKAD’s Head of Intelligence and Investigations, said: “Disrupting the supply of illegal performance-enhancing drugs is central to protecting sport.
“Our intelligence officers work in partnership with regulators and law enforcement, to identify and dismantle the criminal networks that make these substances available. That collaboration is a vital part of how we keep prohibited substances out of sport, and away from elite athletes and young people.”
Zaheer Oomer, who is unemployed, pleaded guilty at an early stage to all charges, including money laundering offences to a value of £99,893.
Rizwan Atcha, a health and safety advisor, Imtiaz Atcha, a former bank manager, and Matthew Williams, a care worker, also pleaded guilty at the start of the trial in June 2025. Each admitted money laundering offences to the value of £772,112, £117,733 and £221,349 respectively.
Abdul Khan, a scrap metal dealer, Saddym Shahid, a mechanic, and Rajendra Patel, a scrap metal worker, pleaded not guilty and stood trial at Bolton Crown Court. They faced charges of money laundering involving £139,967, $248,750 and £229,061 respectively. Following consideration of extensive evidence, the jury found all three men guilty on 7 July 2025.
A Proceeds of Crime Act confiscation investigation is ongoing.
The MHRA reminds the public to only obtain medicines from trusted and regulated sources, such as registered pharmacies.
Anyone who suspects they have been sold illegal or unsafe medicines, or is experiencing side effects, should seek medical advice and report any concerns to the MHRA’s Yellow Card scheme.
Convictions
Abdul Khan and Saddaym Shahid – Conspiracy to supply class C drugs 4 years imprisonment. Conspiracy to supply unauthorised medicinal products 18 months imprisonment concurrent. Money laundering 3 years imprisonment consecutive. Total 7 years imprisonment.
Mohammed Oomer – Conspiracy to supply class C drugs 35 months imprisonment. Conspiracy to supply unauthorised medicinal products 18 months imprisonment concurrent. Money laundering 20 months imprisonment consecutive. Total 4 years 7 months.
Rizwan Atcha – 4 counts of money laundering. 37 months imprisonment concurrent on each count. Total 3 years and 1 month imprisonment.
Imtiaz Atcha – 4 counts of money laundering. 18 months imprisonment suspended for 2 years. Electronically monitored curfew from 9pm to 7pm for four months. To do 250 hours of unpaid work.
Rajendra Patel – 2 counts of money laundering. 24 months imprisonment suspended for 2 years. Electronically monitored curfew from 9pm to 7pm for four months. To do 250 hours of unpaid work.
Matthew Williams – 4 counts of money laundering. 24 months imprisonment suspended for 2 years. Electronically monitored curfew from 9pm to 7pm for four months. To do 250 hours of unpaid work.
Two brothers have been jailed as part of a large-scale investigation into serious and organised crime.
Kieran and Aaron Miller, 31 and 34 respectively, plead guilty on Thursday, 12 March, 2026, at the High Court in Glasgow to offences relating to supplying drugs and using encrypted devices between November 2019 and June 2020.
Yesterday, Wednesday, 22 April, 2026, they were each sentenced at the same court to six years in prison.
Their part in sourcing and distributing illicit drugs worth over £1 million was uncovered as part of Operation Enchanting, closely linked to Operation Venetic – a Europe-wide investigation to identify and dismantle organised crime groups utilising encrypted devices.
The brothers are believed to have been supplying dealers rather than end users and, on a weekly basis, were found to be moving large quantities of cocaine, diamorphine, MDMA, cannabis, amphetamine and diazepam in the Fife and Central Scotland areas.
During the investigation, detectives uncovered that the pair sent over 36,000 messages via EncroChat devices, including images of cash and drugs.
Detective Inspector Craig Davies said: “Drugs cause misery in our communities and we are committed to use every tool and tactic at our disposal to bring those responsible for the sourcing and distribution of illicit drugs to justice.
“This result has taken a significant quantity of Class A and Class B drugs off the streets, and the people behind the deal will now face the consequences of their actions.
“This operation and our other recent successes underline our unwavering commitment to working with partners, including the NCA, Border Force and SOC Taskforce, to disrupt this sort of criminality.
A 50-year-old man has been convicted following a violent offence in Edinburgh.
Anthony Brown pleaded guilty at the High Court in Glasgow yesterday (Tuesday, 14 April, 2026), to assault to severe injury, permanent disfigurement and danger of life.
Officers were made aware of the attempted murder of a 54-year-old man on Pitcairn Grove in Greenbank around 9.20pm on Thursday, 22 May, 2025.
Brown was arrested and charged in connection with the incident on Friday, 4 July, 2025, following the execution of a warrant.
Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Ferry, Specialist Crime Division, said: “Another individual has been convicted in relation to this violent incident.
“This conviction is testament to the hard work and dedication by detectives, specialist officers and partners across the country.
“Police Scotland remains committed to the Serious and Organised Crime Taskforce and its national strategy.”
Operation Portaledge is the ongoing investigation into violent incidents in the East and West of the country.
Did you know over 1.3 billion illegal cigarettes were seized between April 2023 and March 2024?
Community information helps uncover hidden supply chains, storage sites and those behind the sales.
By sharing what you know with Crimestoppers, you can help protect children, support local businesses and disrupt organised crime. We don’t need to know your name or where you’re from, just what you know about the crime.
Three men have been convicted of wilful fire-raising offences linked to Operation Portaledge.
At the High Court in Glasgow on Thursday, 26 March, 2026, Marshall O’Hara, 21, and Fraser Stewart, 22, pleaded guilty to four wilful fire-raising offences. Aiden McLaughlin (pictured above), 21, pleaded guilty to one wilful fire-raising offence.
All three pleaded guilty in relation to a wilful fire-raising at a premises on Wellington Road in Bishopbriggs on Tuesday, 8 April, 2025.
O’Hara and Stewart were also convicted in relation to wilful fire-raisings at a property on Ashgill Road, Glasgow and a property on Meadow Court, Stepps, on Monday, 7 April, as well as a property on Colston Drive, Bishopbriggs on Monday, 14 April.
They are all due to be sentenced at the same court on Wednesday, 13 May.
Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Ferry, Specialist Crime Division, said: “These were worrying incidents for the local community and now those responsible will face the consequences of their actions.
“We will continue to bring those intent in being involved in serious and organised crime to justice.
“These convictions are further examples of Police Scotland’s commitment to the Serious and Organised Crime Taskforce and its national strategy.”
Operation Portaledge is the ongoing investigation into violent incidents in the East and West of the country.
Scotland has lost 350 pubs and bars since 2016 and 650 since 2010 “Unwanted shops” filling the void with nearly 1,900 more barbers, nail salons and other beauty outlets appearing since 2010 New inquiry launched into “repairing Britain’s broken high streets”
For every extra local tobacco and vape shop since 2016, ten pubs have disappeared, new research shows.
The last decade saw Scotland lose 350 pubs and bars, while the number of vape and tobacco shop rose by 35 to 210 in total, according to analysis of official figures by cross-party think tank the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ).
Analysis of business counts of registered businesses in Scotland showed a 10 per cent rise in the number of barbers, nail salons and other beauty outlets appearing since 2016 – rising to 85 per cent when compared to 2010.
Launching a new Broken High Streets inquiry, the CSJ warns that valued community assets like pubs are being replaced by a wave of “dodgy shops” that do not reflect real consumer demand.
Polling conducted by Ipsos found that almost seven in ten people (68 per cent) say there are too many vape shops on the high street, while 58 per cent say there are too many barber shops, and 50 per cent say there are too many nail bars.
Given the existence of three million estimated unregistered businesses, the true rise of “dodgy shops” is likely to be even higher than the official count. The Local Data Company, which carries out detailed surveys of all retail areas, found 3,573 specialist vape shops in the UK in 2023, 1,393 more than official estimates across the UK as a whole.
Publicans and shopkeepers are under renewed pressure from rate increases, years of high inflation, duty, and VAT. At the same time, legitimate businesses risk being pushed off the high street by businesses operating as fronts for money laundering, illegal working and organised crime.
One recent investigation found that 3,624 shops had illegal goods seized from them in 2024-25, with HMRC and Border Force seizing 1.2 billion illegal cigarettes in the same period.
In October last year, the National Crime Agency destroyed over £2.7 million of criminal tobacco, vapes and drugs being sold off the high street.
The illicit tobacco trade is estimated to cost taxpayers £1.8 billion, nine times the amount the UK government has invested in neighbourhood policing, worth the equivalent of recruiting over 26,000 new police officers to make our high streets safer.
Connor Naismith MP, Labour MP for Crewe and Nantwich, said: “Dodgy vape shops, mini-marts and fake barbers are a front for exploitation and organised crime, pushing people out of our high streets and making a mockery of the law.
“Stronger powers for trading standards to shut down these criminal enterprises are urgently needed and are vital for any successful policy aimed at renewing our high streets and town centres.”
Naismith made his remarks as the CSJ launches a call for evidence to “repair Britain’s broken high streets”, warning that social breakdown across town and city centres is undermining the pillars of community life.
https://twitter.com/i/status/2033536529742627001
The think tank has also created an interactive tool called Oi! Mind Your Buainess! which lets people see which shops and businesses are thriving or declining in their community.
The CSJ warn that a toxic cocktail of organised crime, illegal trading, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour are compounding long-term economic challenges facing high-streets, and that local authorities are woefully underequipped to tackle the breakdown in law and order.
— The Centre for Social Justice (@csjthinktank) March 15, 2026
Josh Nicholson, Head of Housing and Communities at the Centre for Social Justice, said: “Scotland’s high streets are changing and not for the better.
“The explosion of ‘dodgy shops’, shoplifting, and anti-social behaviour across town and city centres points to a breakdown in community life that must urgently be addressed.
“With national elections later this year, it is critical that political parties have a plan to clean up the social breakdown wrecking Scottish communities.”
Please respond to the CSJ’s call for evidence here.
A 21-year-old man has been convicted following an attempted murder in Edinburgh.Joshua Stewart pleaded guilty at the High Court in Glasgow on Thursday (5 March, 2026.)
Officers were made aware of the attempted murder of a 54-year-old man on Pitcairn Grove in Edinburgh around 9.20pm on Thursday, 22 May, 2025.
Stewart was arrested and charged in connection with the incident on Monday, 16 June, 2025.
Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Ferry, Specialist Crime Division, said: “This was a violent incident and the conviction is testament to the hard work and dedication by detectives, specialist officers and partners across the country.
“We will continue to bring those involved in serious criminality to justice.
“Police Scotland remains committed to the Serious and Organised Crime Taskforce and its national strategy.”
Operation Portaledge is the ongoing investigation into violent incidents in the East and West of the country.
