EXCLUSIVEThe money launderers hiding in plain sight: Tanning salons, takeaways and nail bars pop up everyday on Britain's High Streets. RORY TINGLE investigates the chilling way YOUR cash is funding criminal empires
Crimes including money laundering and modern slavery are 'taking place in plain sight' on the High Street - with organised gangs using seemingly ordinary shops as fronts for their illicit empires.
Dramatic rises in offences like shoplifting have sparked major concern in recent years, driven in part by the fact these crimes often occur in clear view of other shoppers.
But today, experts and worried business owners warned that much more serious criminality was taking place in a wide variety of town centre premises, ranging from nail bars and tanning salons to takeaways, convenience stores and cafes.
And they warned that a lack of public awareness was allowing violent gangs to increase their grip.
Police say drugs gangs launder money through bricks and mortar outlets by artificially inflating their revenues to disguise the dirty cash being pumped through their registers.
Meanwhile, outlets that require significant numbers of employees - such as nail bars and barbers - are sometimes staffed by trafficked workers who have their passports taken away before being forced to work for little or no money.
An explosion in the number of small businesses that largely take cash has only fuelled these fears, with ONS data analysed by MailOnline showing there 88 per cent more beauty salons than 10 years ago, 60 per cent more takeaways and 18 per cent more convenience stores.
Businesses in the Kent town of Gravesend today told MailOnline of their concerns that shops in the town were being used by criminals.
This unassuming shop in Cardiff was one of several used to sell illegal tobacco and launder the proceeds by a gang that operated across South Wales. It was opposite a police station
Five members of the gang were jailed, with the others receiving suspended sentences
Edris Salim, the 42-year-old owner of Ed's Barbers, said: 'Salons can just pop up out of nowhere and then close again and it does make me wonder what is going on.
'We do all the relevant checks here and all of my staff are properly trained and vetted. I have never had a problem. But I am sure not everyone is as stringent as me. There's all sorts going on.'
Safia Khalid, who had owned Safia Beauty Bar for 12 years, said she operated her business to 'the highest possible standards' but feared the struggles faced by other High Street shops had led to other owners 'cutting corners'.
Meanwhile, Ilker Edrogan, owner of Celly's hairdressers, said one cause for suspicion were the very low prices offered by some rival businesses for cuts and treatments.
'Some places in this area charge very low prices and it makes me wonder what's really going on,' he said.
Lauren Saunders, deputy director of frontline services at anti-slavery charity Unseen, described some of the signs customers could look for to avoid their eye for a bargain leading to them unwittingly fuelling exploitation.
'Modern slavery can often be hidden in plain sight, particularly in high street businesses like nail bars,' she told MailOnline.
'Common signs to look out for include workers who seem nervous, fearful, or excessively controlled by someone else. They might avoid eye contact, appear unable to speak for themselves, or work long hours without breaks.
'Physical signs such as malnourishment or visible bruises, cuts or injuries may also be indicators. Customers should be aware that by using these establishments, they may be unwittingly supporting abusive practices.'
Gangs that generate large amounts of physical cash by selling drugs risk alerting the authorities if they immediately deposit this in bank accounts or carry out large cash purchases.
Putting some of this cash through the tills of High Street shops allows it to be mixed with legitimate income from customers, making it seem like legitimate profit.
Professor Joshua Bamford, director of the Centre for Retail Research, told MailOnline that gangs could also use retail businesses to transfer money to accomplices disguised as 'legitimate payments' for goods or services.
Gary Carroll, a drug and data interpretation expert witness at Claymore Advisory Group, spent more than a decade in law enforcement and now trains police on drug-related matters, said any business that was 'cash led' could be utilised by gangs.
'The use of businesses to launder drug proceeds has been going on for a long time.
'The types of businesses we've come to expect are gyms and tanning salons but it can also be takeaways, building and construction,' he said.
'It's trades and businesses that aren't necessarily governed by any form of ombudsmen and aren't checked in a health and safety capacity.
'Food businesses have food hygiene inspections but they're not focused on money laundering.'
Fed up: Ilker Edrogan, owner of Celly's hairdressers, was one of several legitimate shop owners in Gravesend to complain about criminals operating on the High Street
Edris Salim, the 42-year-old owner of Ed's Barbers, said: 'Salons can just pop up out of nowhere and then close again and it does make me wonder what is going on'
Nail bars and barbers are a common sight in Gravesend town centre. There is no suggestion any of these businesses are involved in any wrongdoing
Safia Khalid, who had owned Safia Beauty Bar for 12 years, said she upheld the highest standards but was worried about other businesses 'cutting corners'
Mr Carroll said the rise of digital payments and cryptocurrency had led other criminal groups to change the way they laundered money.
'County lines gangs are a little bit different, as advancements in digital currencies and successful proceeds of crime actions mean it's less common to open up shop front businesses,' he said.
'Most of these gangs tend to earn their money and invest it in crypto forex or wash it in other ways.'
A rare spotlight was thrown on the darker side of the high street earlier this year after police busted a gang that used a series of shops in Cardiff, Barry and Bridgend to launder more than £1.5million for their criminal empire.
MANCHESTER: A row of barbers and takeaways in the city. There is no suggestion any are involved in illicit activity
WEST MIDLANDS: The town of Sedgley, where there are numerous Turkish barbers. There is no suggestion the premises pictured is involved in anything illegal
LONDON: A row of shops including several nail salons and a convenience store in Camberwell. There is no suggestion any of them are involved in illicit activity
South Wales Police first began investigating the group after receiving intelligence that stores were selling illegal tobacco and nitrous oxide canisters.
The gang used the shops as a front, appearing to sell genuine products while hiding illegal tobacco in the flats above them. The proceeds were then laundered through the stores' cash registers.
The longest sentence of seven years' imprisonment was handed to Ali Khaleel Hassan Aldarawish, a 34-year-old from Cardiff who was convicted of laundering more than £792,000.
Meanwhile, in July, six people were arrested in Camden, north London, on suspicion of money laundering offences after a raid on a clothes and accessories shop.
In July, six people were arrested in Camden, north London , on suspicion of money laundering offences after a raid on this clothes and accessories shop
Officers found £5million worth of counterfeit goods from the shop's basement, which they believed were being sold as part of an operation to launder dirty cash
The counterfeit goods included several shelves of fake handbags (pictured)
A man being arrested as part of the crackdown by the Met and City of London Police
Officers from the City of London Police and the Met found £5million worth of counterfeit goods from the shop's basement, which they believed were being sold as part of an operation to launder dirty cash.
Inspector Pete Luciano, a member of the local policing team in Camden, said: 'The sale of counterfeit goods is linked to wider issues such as money laundering and organised crime which has a significant impact on the local community as well as society as a whole.'
The National Crime Agency estimates that more than £100 billion is laundered through and within the UK or UK-registered corporate structures each year.
It warns that this activity not only allows gangs to benefit from their crimes, but also deprives the government of tax revenues and harms legal businesses which find themselves being undercut by illegitimate ones.
Anyone who believes they have evidence of modern slavery can call Unseen's Helpline at 08000 121 700 to report concerns or seek advice.
