Raids on suspected organised crime see 17 arrested

Key Points

• Police have arrested 17 people during dawn raids at 24 properties across London, Essex, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk.
• More than 800 officers were involved in the early-morning arrest operation.
• The investigation is being conducted by the Metropolitan Police, alongside HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
• A police officer was stabbed in the leg while executing a warrant in Cockfosters, Barnet; the injury was described as non-life-changing.
• Police said searches were continuing at several properties and that officers were expected to remain in some areas for several days.
• The arrests involve 15 men aged between 26 and 65 and two women aged 31 and 41.
• Those arrested are suspected of offences including participation in an organised crime group, money laundering, cheating the public revenue, false accounting and conspiracy to commit GBH.
• The FCA has reportedly disrupted seven businesses and is actively pursuing a further 30 businesses as part of the investigation.
• Police described the arrests as a significant point in the investigation and said those detained were suspected of involvement at a senior level in serious and organised crime and related financial offending.

Extra London News (ELN) September 30, 2026 – Seventeen people have been arrested following dawn raids at 24 properties across London and four counties in an investigation into suspected serious and organised crime and related financial offending. More than 800 officers took part in the operation, which involved the Metropolitan Police, HM Revenue and Customs and the Financial Conduct Authority. The operation also resulted in a police officer being stabbed in the leg while carrying out a warrant in Cockfosters, Barnet. Police said the officer’s injuries were non-life-changing and that searches remained under way at several properties.

What happened during the organised crime raids?

According to the information provided by the Metropolitan Police, officers carried out arrest operations at 24 properties during the early hours of Tuesday.

The raids covered locations in London, Essex, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk, making the operation geographically broad. More than 800 officers were involved in the action, underlining the scale of the investigation and the number of locations being searched simultaneously.

The Metropolitan Police said searches were continuing at a number of the properties following the arrests. It also said there was expected to be a police presence at some locations for several days.

The operation forms part of an investigation involving three public authorities: the Metropolitan Police, HM Revenue and Customs and the Financial Conduct Authority.

The agencies are investigating suspected organised crime as well as alleged financial offences. The arrests therefore form part of an investigation that covers both alleged criminal activity and financial conduct.

Who was arrested in the operation?

Police said 17 people were arrested in total.

The group comprises 15 men aged between 26 and 65 and two women aged 31 and 41.

The Metropolitan Police said those arrested were being held on suspicion of several offences. These include participating in the activities of an organised crime group, money laundering, cheating the public revenue, false accounting and conspiracy to commit GBH.

The allegations remain matters under investigation. An arrest and suspicion of an offence do not establish that an individual has committed that offence.

The police statement described the people arrested as suspected of leading or being involved at a senior level in serious and organised crime and associated financial offending.

What happened to the police officer in Cockfosters?

A police officer taking part in the operation in Cockfosters, Barnet, was stabbed in the leg while carrying out a warrant.

The Metropolitan Police said the officer’s injuries were non-life-changing.

The incident occurred during the execution of one of the warrants connected with the wider operation. The available information does not provide further details about the circumstances of the stabbing, including the identity or status of any person alleged to have carried it out.

The incident demonstrates that the arrest operation involved risks to officers while warrants were being executed, but the police have not provided additional details in the supplied information.

Which agencies are involved in the investigation?

The investigation is being conducted by the Metropolitan Police, with involvement from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

The involvement of HMRC reflects the financial dimension of the investigation, particularly the allegation of cheating the public revenue. The alleged offences also include money laundering and false accounting.

The FCA has separately taken action against businesses connected with the investigation.

According to the Metropolitan Police, the FCA has “disrupted” seven businesses and is “actively pursuing” another 30.

The police did not provide further details in the supplied statement about the identities of those businesses, the nature of the disruption or what action is being taken against the additional 30 businesses.

What did the Metropolitan Police say about the arrests?

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson described the arrests as “a significant point in this investigation”.

The spokesperson said those arrested were suspected of leading or being involved at a senior level in serious and organised crime and related financial offending.

The statement links the arrests directly to the wider investigation rather than presenting them as an isolated police operation.

The police have not, in the supplied information, identified the alleged organised crime group by name. They have also not provided details of the individual roles allegedly held by the people arrested.

The investigation therefore remains focused on establishing the alleged activities of the group and the financial offending connected with it.

What offences are the 17 people suspected of?

The people arrested are being held on suspicion of several offences.

These are:

• Participation in the activities of an organised crime group.
• Money laundering.
• Cheating the public revenue.
• False accounting.
• Conspiracy to commit GBH.

The Metropolitan Police has described the investigation as involving serious and organised crime and related financial offending.

The inclusion of financial offences alongside the organised crime allegation indicates that investigators are examining financial activity as part of the wider case. However, the supplied information does not specify the alleged amounts involved, the businesses or accounts under investigation, or the precise financial transactions being examined.

Likewise, no details have been provided about the alleged conspiracy to commit GBH beyond its inclusion among the offences for which the suspects are being held.

Why are searches continuing after the arrests?

The Metropolitan Police said searches were continuing at several of the properties involved in the operation.

Police also said there was expected to be a police presence at some locations for several days.

The continuation of searches means the operation did not end with the arrests. Officers are still carrying out investigative work at some of the properties covered by the warrants.

The supplied information does not state what items or evidence police are seeking or what has already been recovered during the searches.

The fact that searches remain ongoing also means that the investigation is continuing after the initial arrest phase.

How extensive was the operation?

The operation involved more than 800 officers and targeted 24 properties across five areas: London, Essex, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk.

The number of officers and locations makes the operation one of significant scale within the information supplied by police.

The investigation also involves three agencies, with the Metropolitan Police working alongside HMRC and the FCA.

The FCA’s reported disruption of seven businesses and pursuit of another 30 adds a further financial and commercial element to the investigation.

However, the authorities have not provided, in the information supplied, a full account of the businesses concerned, the total financial value allegedly involved or the complete evidence gathered so far.

What happens next in the investigation?

The immediate next stage is expected to involve continued searches, investigative work and the processing of the 17 people who have been arrested.

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that searches are still under way at some properties and that police officers are expected to remain at certain locations for several days.

The suspects are being held on suspicion of the offences listed by police. The supplied information does not state whether charges have been brought against any of the 17 people, nor does it provide information about court appearances, bail decisions or further arrests.

As the investigation continues, police and the other agencies involved may establish further details concerning the alleged organised crime activity and the financial offences under investigation.

Background: What is the wider development behind the raids?

The raids form part of an investigation into a suspected organised crime group and alleged related financial offending.

The Metropolitan Police is conducting the investigation with HM Revenue and Customs and the Financial Conduct Authority.

Police say the suspects may have been involved at a senior level in serious and organised crime. The investigation also includes allegations involving money laundering, cheating the public revenue and false accounting.

The FCA has been involved in action against businesses connected to the investigation, with the Metropolitan Police stating that seven businesses have been disrupted and that the FCA is actively pursuing a further 30.

The operation was carried out at 24 properties across London, Essex, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk, with more than 800 officers involved.

The arrests and searches are therefore part of a broader investigation involving alleged criminal activity, financial offending and businesses. The authorities have not yet provided all details of the alleged activities or the evidence underpinning the investigation.

Prediction: How could the development affect the public and businesses in the areas involved?

For residents and businesses located near the properties searched, the most immediate effect is likely to be the continued presence of police officers while searches remain under way. The Metropolitan Police has said that a police presence is expected at some locations for several days.

For businesses connected to the investigation, the FCA’s reported disruption of seven businesses and its pursuit of another 30 could result in further regulatory or investigative activity. The supplied information does not specify which businesses are involved or what action will ultimately be taken against them.

For the wider public, the arrests represent an ongoing law-enforcement investigation rather than a concluded criminal case. The 17 people arrested remain suspects in relation to the offences identified by police, and an arrest does not itself establish guilt.

The next developments will depend on the continuing searches, evidence gathered by investigators and any subsequent decisions by the relevant authorities.