The National Crime Agency (NCA) has successfully concluded Operation Destabilise, a major international investigation that exposed and disrupted Russian money laundering networks with global reach. The operation, revealed in conjunction with US sanctions, led to eighty four arrests and the seizure of over £20m in cash and cryptocurrency. The networks, identified as Smart and TGR, facilitated money laundering for UK-based criminals, transnational crime groups, and Russian clients seeking to bypass financial restrictions. The investigation uncovered links between Russian elites, cyber criminals, and UK drug gangs, with the networks also supporting Russian espionage operations from late 2022 to summer 2023. The NCA's actions have significantly impacted these criminal enterprises, making it difficult for them to operate in the UK and sending a clear message against money laundering activities.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) has enforced a writ of possession in respect of a property on Sandmoor Drive, Leeds, obtained in February 2026. The NCA accepted title to the property in October 2020 as part of a £10m civil recovery agreement with a businessman suspected of money laundering offences. Further proceedings arose from a claim by Mrs Abigail Katung, former Lord Mayor of Leeds City Council, who asserted an interest in the property on the basis of a 2015 agreement to purchase it and payments of approximately £400,000 towards the agreed £1m purchase price. In June 2025, the High Court held that Mrs Katung had no legitimate interest in, or right to, the property. Her appeal was refused, with the judge stating that any appeal would have ‘no real prospect of success’. Following enforcement of the writ, the NCA has taken possession of the property and intends to sell it, with the proceeds to be returned to public funds.

Law360, London: The effectiveness of Britain's sanctions regime should not be judged solely by court victories, according to a top UK law enforcement official who said there are 'unrealistic' expectations about the policing of sanctions imposed in response to the war in Ukraine.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) has published the results of an investigation into former Cambridge University academic, Ehsan Abdi Jalebi, who was sentenced to prison for four years in 2018 after claiming over £2m from a green energy project. Following an investigation to track Jalebi’s hidden assets, the NCA proved he was falsifying documents to secure government grants for his company Wind Technologies Ltd and had used bank accounts of his PHD students to receive ‘studentship payments’ into his personal accounts. In August 2021 the CPS secured a Confiscation Order and found Jalebi had amassed £2,095,923. Jalebi was ordered to repay £1,055, 977.78, sell assets and transfer £988,411 to the UK exchequer and pay £60,000 from sale proceeds of his Cambridgeshire house.

A Porsche and an apartment, worth over £800,000 in total, have been seized from Mohammed Nisar ‘Meggy’ Khan, who was found guilty in May 2019 for the murder of Amriz Iqbal. Khan is also alleged to be the leader of an organised crime group in West Yorkshire. The recovery of the property follows an investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA), which led to a successful unexplained wealth order against another individual, Mansoor Hussain. The NCA found evidence linking the two men and alleges that Khan attempted to use Hussain to hide his property following his conviction.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) has issued an amber alert to maritime and financial institutions regarding sanctions evasion networks that employ shadow fleets to support sanctioned regimes, including Russia, Iran, and North Korea. Jointly issued with the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the alert provides detailed typological characteristics and red flag indicators to assist in identifying evasion activities. Regulated sector businesses are reminded to report suspicious activity through Suspicious Activity Reports, while any breaches of OFSI guidelines must be reported directly to HM Treasury.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) has issued an amber alert warning to artwork storage facilities that individuals are utilising this market to evade Russia sanctions and launder the proceeds of their crimes. The alert highlights the need for the sector to conduct regular due diligence checks to prevent individuals such as Russian oligarchs that use these specialist facilities to store art as an investment or as a store of value for tax benefits. The NCA has recommended that all art market participants should be looking for any change in a client's circumstances, attempts to transfer artwork or ownership to a close contact, attempts to sell artwork quickly or to another jurisdiction and the use of front or shell companies, or complex corporate or trust structures where the Ultimate beneficial Owner is unclear.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) has launched the Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Industry Reporting Portal (CSEA-IRP) following the introduction of the Online Safety (CSEA Content Reporting by Regulated User-to-User Service Providers) Regulations 2026, SI 2026/268. The portal enforces mandatory reporting duties under the Online Safety Act 2023, requiring UK-based regulated services to report all detected and unreported child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA) content. In contrast, non-UK providers are obliged to report only content linked to the UK.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) and NatWest Group have launched a joint campaign targeting accounts payable professionals and finance personnel to combat Invoice Fraud. The campaign provides guidance on identifying and preventing fraud through a 'Check, Verify, Never' approach, advising businesses to check for changes to invoice details, verify supplier information through previously used contact numbers, and never transfer money until satisfied details are correct. Action Fraud figures show that Invoice Fraud victims lost £3,908,086 in September 2025 from 83 cases, averaging more than £47,000 per case, with Invoice Fraud accounting for 85% of all Payment Diversion Fraud losses that month. The campaign includes an information sheet and social media activity co-branded with the Home Office's Stop! Think Fraud campaign, aimed at strengthening defences within the finance sector to reduce opportunities for criminal success.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) has taken part in Operation Power OFF, a Europol-coordinated action across 15 countries to combat Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. The operation resulted in the seizure of 27 DDoS-for-hire platforms and the arrest of three website administrators in France and Germany. The NCA is compiling evidence on UK-based users of these platforms, with potential arrests or warnings to follow. Additionally, the agency has launched a Google ads campaign to deter potential cyber criminals. This action reinforces that DDoS attacks are illegal in the UK under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 and aims to disrupt the accessibility of these services to would-be offenders.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) has published the Annual Report and Accounts for 2024-2025. The report covers the period between 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 and contains a report for performance, accountability and financial statements.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) has published its Annual Report and Accounts 2025–2026, setting out its operational performance, strategic priorities and financial results for the year ended 31 March 2026. The report states that the serious and organised crime threat to the UK has increased, driven by factors including technological change, artificial intelligence (AI) and transnational criminal activity. It highlights record operational activity, with 7,580 disruptions recorded during 2025–2026, including operations targeting organised immigration crime, child sexual abuse, drugs, firearms, illicit finance, fraud, cybercrime, and modern slavery and human trafficking. The report also includes the NCA's governance, risk management and audited financial statements, and states that the NCA operated within its approved financial limits during 2025–2026 while continuing to invest in technology, operational capability and workforce development to support its response to serious and organised crime.