£1.1M in cash seized during month-long Merseyside fraud crackdown
Rolex watches, phones, laptops and £15,000 in designer clothes were also seized
£1.1million in cash has been seized in a month-long fraud crackdown across Merseyside.
Operation Henhouse is a national campaign running throughout February - combining targeted enforcement with work to protect residents and businesses.
Officers in Merseyside also secured:
- 31 charges
- Seven arrests
- Eight search warrants
- Four rolex watches
- Designer clothing worth £15,000
- 26 mobile phones
- Eight laptops
- Two cryptocurrency wallets
Officers also froze £100,000 in bank accounts and, during work at the ports and airport, arrested two people for possessing offensive weapons, handling stolen goods and immigration offences.
The force's Economic Crime team delivered safeguarding visits to six vulnerable victims and gave advice to residents and local businesses.
Temporary Detective Inspector John Causton, of the Economic Crime Team, said:
"Fraud continues to have a devasting impact for many victims in our communities. That’s why we’ve focused on disruption, robust investigations and close partnership working across the force – from our cyber specialists to Neighbourhood Policing officers – to identify offenders faster and get results that protect people."
Across the previous four years of Operation Henhouse in Merseyside, officers collectively:
- Seized £1,127,347 in criminal cash
- Froze £437,803 through Account Freezing Orders
- Forfeited £19,000 in assets
In 2025 alone, £900,000 of high-value watches were seized and seven people were charged.
DI Causton added:
"Using the Proceeds of Crime Act, it is especially satisfying to ensure criminals don’t profit from their offending. Every pound seized, every asset frozen or forfeited, is money that can no longer fuel further harm in our communities – and we will keep using every power available to us to put offenders before the courts."
How to get advice or information:
- Visit the Stop! Think Fraud website at gov.uk/StopThinkFraud
- Report any cybercrime or fraud to reportfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040
- Any victims can get support from Victim Care Merseyside by calling Freephone 0808 175 3080 or online at www.victimcaremerseyside.org/