Arrests have been made after a string of thefts on charity clothes banks leading police to seize £20,000.
Essex Police has arrested five people in connection with thefts from clothes banks in Essex and London which they believe are linked to a Lithuanian gang.
Police raided 12 addresses on 16 December after charities including the Salvation Army, British Heart Foundation and the Firefighters’ Charity were targeted.
The group, which raided charity bins in town and city centres, has been selling the clothes abroad to fund other crimes and facilitate money laundering.
Some £20,000 was seized by police – £10,000 from a vehicle, and the remaining amount from a bedroom, along with several mobile phones.
Five men between the ages of 30 and 46 have been arrested on suspicion of theft and remain in custody.
They are from Pitsea, South Ockendon and Purfleet in Essex, and one man is from Dagenham in east London.
‘Nationwide’ thefts
Detective sergeant Mike Monkton of the proactive money laundering team, which made the arrests, said: “The scale of these thefts is huge – criminals are taking tonnes and tonnes of clothing from sites nationwide that was intended to help others or raise money for those in need.
“Instead, it was being used to line the pockets of criminals operating across Europe.
“These warrants all taking place simultaneously this morning is a huge disruption to the operations.”
