A 57-year-old man from Hounslow has been arrested on suspicion of facilitating money laundering after currency exchange bureaus across the capital were raided on Tuesday morning.

THe operation saw police and Revenue and Customs investigators swoop in on money service businesses (MSBs) who are suspected of laundering over £3million of criminal profits.

Detectives seized £180,000 found on the premises and arrested two women and four men.

Officers have already seized £3.7million believed to have been laundered at currency exchange bureaus between April 2012 and May 2013 and over £2billion is laundered through these businesses in the UK every year.

Detective Superintendent Nick Downing, of the MPS specialist, organised and economic crime command, said: "Today's activity will make it harder for criminals to operate. By cracking down on the MSBs that facilitate money laundering, we are disrupting one of the main channels through which organised criminals launder their ill-gotten gains."