More than 8,900 people aged under 30 were arrested for money laundering offences in England and Wales between 2020 and 2025. That’s more than six in ten of all money laundering arrests recorded during the period.
And our analysis of police data points to a growing problem that is not simply about young people committing financial crime. It also reveals how organised crime groups are recruiting young people as “money mules”. These are people who move or receive criminal funds on behalf of others.
