STV News is reporting that four people have been arrested after police and immigration officers targeted dozens of businesses as part of one of the UK’s largest coordinated crackdowns on organised immigration crime.

Restaurants, barber shops, nail bars, vape shops and car washes were among 40 businesses visited by officers in Scotland during the week-long intelligence-led operation, which aimed to disrupt criminal networks suspected of facilitating illegal working, exploiting vulnerable migrants and laundering the proceeds of crime.

Across the UK, 362 people were arrested, including 269 for immigration offences. Authorities said 57 of those arrested were known to have entered the UK by small boat.

Police Scotland

More than £1m in cash was seized during the operation, alongside around £700,000 worth of illegal tobacco, cigarettes and vapes, £131,000 worth of drugs, 92 vehicles and 31 e-bikes and scooters.

STV News was given exclusive access to one of the operations in Glasgow, where Police Scotland carried out checks at a restaurant after receiving intelligence suggesting it may have links to organised immigration crime.

As plain-clothed and uniformed officers entered the premises, their priority was establishing whether everyone working there was safe.

Police Scotland

Around ten members of staff, all overseas workers, were spoken to individually, many with the assistance of an interpreter. Officers asked where they lived, whether they held their own identification documents, who they lived with and whether they had any concerns about their welfare or working conditions.

Detective Sergeant Robert Smith, who led the Glasgow operation, said officers are trained to identify signs of exploitation before considering any potential enforcement action.

“We’re just asking for their personal details,” he told STV News.

“In the first instance, that allows us to carry out our checks.

“We’re then speaking to them about where they’re staying, have they got identification on them, who do they live with, are they okay.

“If they think the police are here, we don’t know what upbringing they’ve had, and if they’ve had an upbringing where the police have brought harm to them, or they’re fearful of police, we need to make sure that they understand that everything’s fine.

“We are here to help you, we are here to look after you, and we are here to keep them safe.

“We’re carrying out checks, and it will be based on those checks what action we take. It will just depend on what we find out.”

After speaking to staff and carrying out further checks, officers concluded they had no immediate concerns at the restaurant. No further action was taken at the Glasgow premises.

The activity formed part of Operation Lockstream, a UK-wide initiative coordinated by the Organised Immigration Crime Domestic Taskforce involving police forces, Immigration Enforcement, HM Revenue and Customs, Trading Standards and other partner agencies.

Between June 15 and June 20, officers visited 911 businesses across the UK and spoke to more than 4,000 people. Authorities say cash-intensive businesses can be exploited by organised crime groups to conceal illegal working, exploit vulnerable migrants and launder criminal profits.

In Scotland, officers interacted with 109 people and identified ten irregular migrants. Trading Standards also found four premises operating without a licence to sell alcohol or tobacco, while six immigration arrests were made by Home Office Immigration Enforcement officers.

Police Scotland detective superintendent Stevie Betram said organised immigration crime often sits alongside other forms of serious criminality.

“It is a fact that organised crime groups exploit vulnerable people by facilitating illegal entry into the UK,” he said.

“This exposes them to dangerous journeys and exploitative conditions and our priority is to protect those at risk, identify the networks and individuals involved and to ensure offenders are brought to justice.

Across the UK, the operation also resulted in 73 civil penalty referrals for businesses suspected of employing people without the legal right to work. Employers can face fines of up to £60,000 for each illegal worker.

Police stressed the operation was intelligence-led and focused on tackling organised crime and protecting vulnerable people from exploitation – not immigration enforcement through the back door.