The UK government will recruit 500 new financial-crime officers as part of a £500 million campaign targeting money laundering networks, including criminal operations using rogue vape shops and other high-street businesses as fronts.
The officers will be deployed across police forces, the National Crime Agency (NCA), and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), according to a Sept. 15 announcement from the Home Office and HM Treasury. The funding will come from the economic crime levy over three years and is part of the government's new Anti-Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Strategy.
Although the initiative extends far beyond vaping, the government specifically tied it to its campaign against high-street businesses suspected of laundering criminal proceeds. Officials say the expanded financial-investigation force will complement the High Street Organised Crime Unit, which targets rogue vape stores, barber shops, mini-marts, and other businesses linked to organized crime.
That unit was launched in May with £30 million in funding. The government said £20 million would support law enforcement and 75 additional officers, while Trading Standards would receive £6 million. The NCA estimated that about £1 billion in criminal cash is laundered annually through high-street businesses, including vape shops. The claim applies to businesses linked to criminal networks, not vape retailers generally.
The government has also proposed giving police and local authorities more time to keep suspect businesses closed while investigations continue. Existing closure orders can last up to six months. Under plans announced in June, that maximum would double, with regulations expected before the end of 2026.
The broader financial crackdown follows a sharp increase in assets seized or blocked by authorities. Official statistics published in September show £345.3 million in criminal assets was recovered in the financial year ending March 2026, while access to another £1.1 billion was denied through restraint and forfeiture powers. Victims received £26.1 million in compensation from recovered proceeds.
The new officers will also target international money-laundering networks. The NCA's 2026 assessment says Russian-speaking networks use cash-to-crypto systems and other methods to move criminal proceeds and evade sanctions. The government says stronger financial investigation should allow enforcement agencies to attack the money behind organized crime rather than repeatedly chasing individual storefronts.
Legitimate vape retailers are not the stated target. The government's campaign is aimed at businesses allegedly functioning as criminal fronts or selling illicit goods, not the ordinary retail vape sector. But vape shops have become one of the most visible targets in Britain's expanding high-street enforcement drive.
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