Current status: Answered by Angela Constance on 24 November 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the prevalence of organised crime involvement in small retail businesses across the country.
The Scottish Government has not carried out an assessment of the prevalence of organised crime in small retail businesses.
The Scottish Government works with members of the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce (SOCT) to detect and disrupt organised crime in Scotland. I chaired a meeting of the SOCT on 13 November where members heard an update from Police Scotland and other law enforcement partners on Operation Machinize followed by a presentation from Trading Standards officials on organised crime on the high streets.
Operation Machinize was launched by law enforcements partners in England earlier this year. This was in response to growing intelligence reports that some retail premises are being used for money laundering and other criminal activity. These include vape shops, Turkish barbers, mini-markets and other cash-intensive businesses, which can be fronts for organised crime. The second phase, which included Police Scotland and other partners based at the Scottish Crime Campus, took place during the month of October and has achieved some successful results.