Gold bars worth £1.8m seized at Manchester Airport forfeited to GMP
Five bars weighing more than 15kg stopped in airport hand luggage
Last updated 19th Feb 2026
Gold bars worth £1.81m seized from a passenger’s hand luggage at Manchester Airport have been forfeited following a court ruling.
The five bars, weighing more than 15kg, were stopped by officers in May 2025 as a man prepared to board a flight abroad.
The assets have now been made subject to the largest forfeiture order of its kind granted to Greater Manchester Police.
Seized under Proceeds of Crime powers
Officers detained the gold under the Proceeds of Crime Act after believing it was linked to suspected criminal activity.
A civil recovery investigation was led by the force’s Economic and Cyber Crime Unit, working alongside its Legal Services department.
The case was heard at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on 19th February, where a forfeiture order totalling £1.81m was granted in favour of Greater Manchester Police.
The outcome represents the highest value listed assets forfeiture order ever awarded to the force.
Half of funds to support community projects
As a result of the ruling, half of the recovered money will be directed into the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme.
Funds distributed through the scheme are invested into communities across Greater Manchester, including charities and community groups.
Detective Inspector Sarah Langley, from the Economic Crime Unit, said: “This case reflects our unwavering commitment to tackling all forms of money laundering — whether it involves cash, gold, or any other high value assets used to hide criminal profits.
“Criminals continuously adapt their methods, and so must we. By targeting the movement of illicit wealth at every stage, we are dismantling the financial networks that allow organised crime to thrive.
“Our message is clear: whatever the form and wherever it is concealed, we will find it, we will seize it, and we will ensure that crime does not pay.”