New Study Reveals Majority of Money Laundering Arrests, Cardiff 2026

Key Points

• Two thirds of the arrests for money laundering in the UK target adults younger than 30 years old, according to recent analysis.
• The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 arrests of people below 30 reached 8,956 from January 2020 to January 2025.
• The number of arrest cases for money laundering offences stood at 14,493 in 36 police forces while charges reached 7,735.
• According to law enforcement authorities, students, including international students, are highly vulnerable to recruitment into money mules.
• No higher education institutions fall within the scope of the UK Money Laundering Regulations.
• Money laundering arrests in few force areas account for a large part, namely Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Leicestershire.

Cardiff (Wales Times) September 07, 2026 – A first‑of‑its‑kind analysis of police data across England and Wales has found that the majority of money‑laundering arrests involve people under the age of 30, prompting renewed debate over how best to protect young adults and students from exploitation by organised crime groups. The study, conducted by academics at uk/local/cardiff/">Cardiff University and the University of the West of England, draws on figures obtained via Freedom of Information Act requests from 36 police forces and is accompanied by anonymous interviews and surveys with Regional Organised Crime Units and the City of London Police.

According to the research, 8,956 adults under 30 were arrested for money‑laundering offences under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 between January 2020 and January 2025. Across all age categories, there were 14,493 recorded money‑laundering arrests, resulting in 7,735 charges. While the analysis indicates that offences are most common among people aged 18–29, those over 30 still represent a substantial secondary group, and under‑18 involvement is less frequent across all forces.

Why are under‑30s disproportionately represented in arrests?

Study lead Nicholas Ryder, professor at Cardiff University’s School of Law and Politics, said:

“This study is the first to reveal the number of money‑laundering offenses, which collectively include arrests and charges, being recorded by police forces across the UK. Adults under 30 make up the largest proportion of arrests, and our interviews with law enforcement officials suggest this is due to younger people increasingly being recruited as money mules.”

Money mules are individuals who transfer the proceeds of crime on behalf of criminals, often through a bank account, to disguise the source of the funds and complicate or frustrate investigations by law enforcement agencies.

Anonymous interviews and surveys with Regional Organised Crime Units and City of London Police reveal that students, particularly international students, are considered particularly vulnerable to recruitment as money mules. Professor Ryder added:

“While it was not possible to identify the number of cases that involve students, there is a clear view among police officers that students are particularly susceptible due to factors such as financial hardship, manipulation and limited awareness.”

He noted that significant efforts are therefore being undertaken by these teams to prevent and respond to offences involving students, but that universities’ role in alerting authorities is often perceived to be outside the existing anti‑money‑laundering legal framework.

Where are money‑laundering arrests concentrated across England and Wales?

There are also significant regional variations, with a clear concentration of activity in a small number of police force areas. At the highest end, Greater Manchester (570), Merseyside (566) and Leicestershire (485) stand out as the regions with the highest number of s.327 offences. These are followed by the Metropolitan Police (404) and Devon & Cornwall (327), with Kent (214) and West Yorkshire (200) also showing high figures. The report notes that the 2025 National Risk Assessment by the Home Office and HM Treasury concluded that schools and universities represent an emerging vulnerability for money laundering because of their global reach, financial flows and comparatively weaker regulatory oversight.

What do police and regulators say about students and money mule risk?

The UK Fraud Strategy recognizes that money mule networks are central to laundering fraud proceeds and highlights the importance of educating students. Nik Adams, deputy commissioner at City of London Police and national coordinator for economic and cybercrime and National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for financial investigation and asset recovery, said: “We welcome this important report and its recommendations, which highlight the need for a more coordinated and consistent approach to tackling money laundering and money mule activity, particularly among young people.” He added that the findings reinforce the importance of prevention, partnership working and investment in specialist capability, and that police support the call for a national strategy, stronger collaboration between law enforcement, educational institutions and the financial sector, improved data sharing, and greater resources to tackle financial crime effectively.

Jordan Coates, fraud and cyber supervisor at the South‑West Regional Organised Crime Unit, which is working to educate young people about the dangers of money laundering, said:

“This report is so important in helping young people understand and protect themselves from financial exploitation.”

He said the unit’s work provides clear, age‑appropriate education from Key Stage 2 through to Key Stage 5, equipping children and young people with the knowledge they need to recognize unsafe contact, spot the warning signs of exploitation and know where to find help and support. Brian Collins, economic protection officer from the North‑East Regional Organised Crime Unit (NEROCU), said:

“Money muling is a complex and layered form of organized crime, and our police work closely with schools, universities and colleges to try to ensure that vulnerable members of the public are educated on the topic and understand the risks of becoming a money mule.”

He warned that by helping criminal gangs launder money, individuals help fund drug and firearm distribution, human trafficking, child exploitation and other harmful crimes.

What convictions and enforcement outcomes have been recorded?

Publicly available data from the Ministry of Justice shows 108 children and 420 young adults (18–24) were convicted of money‑laundering offences during the same period. The report’s co‑author, Dr Samantha Mapston of Bristol Law School at the University of the West of England, said: “This project demonstrates that money laundering enforcement more generally is concentrated, uneven and resource‑driven.” She added that interviews reveal that the criminal justice system performs better in responding to simpler cases, while complex financial crime remains challenging, and that the findings highlight the need for greater consistency, capability, coordination and allocation of resources across jurisdictions in tackling money laundering, including in educational settings.

What regulatory changes are being proposed for universities and schools?

The research highlights that higher education institutions are not included in the Money Laundering Regulations, which require organisations to report suspicions of money laundering and terrorist financing to the UK Financial Intelligence Unit at the National Crime Agency. Without being subject to this legal framework, the information shared with law enforcement agencies is limited, academics say. Susan Hawley, executive director of Spotlight on Corruption, said: “This research shows once again how important it is that the UK government reviews the scope of who is regulated for money laundering, and particularly how the education sector can be brought under tighter supervision.” She urged the government to bring forward proposals on this in the early part of the fall for consultation, adding that it is essential that students who may be vulnerable to becoming cash mules are adequately protected and informed and that universities play their role in doing this.

Background to the development

The analysis forms part of a broader push to map the scale of money‑laundering enforcement activity in the UK, an area where comprehensive national statistics have previously been limited. The 2025 National Risk Assessment by the Home Office and HM Treasury had already flagged schools and universities as an emerging vulnerability for money laundering due to their global reach, financial flows and comparatively weaker regulatory oversight.

The UK Fraud Strategy similarly identifies money mule networks as central to laundering fraud proceeds and stresses student education as a key preventive measure. Against that backdrop, the Cardiff and UWE study combines police data with practitioner interviews to provide one of the first detailed pictures of who is being arrested, where, and why younger adults feature so prominently.

Prediction: how could this affect students, universities and young workers?

If the patterns identified in the study persist, students and young workers are likely to face intensified scrutiny from banks, universities and law enforcement as part of efforts to disrupt money mule recruitment. For students, especially those under financial pressure or new to the UK banking system, this could mean more frequent account checks, transaction monitoring and requests for evidence of legitimate income when unusual activity is detected.

Universities may come under growing pressure to strengthen internal controls, expand financial‑crime awareness programmes and consider formal cooperation agreements with police and financial institutions, even if they are not yet directly regulated under the Money Laundering Regulations. For young adults more broadly, the risk is that criminal networks continue to target them via social media and online platforms, meaning that without sustained, age‑appropriate education and clearer pathways to report suspicious approaches, arrests among under‑30s could remain elevated.