In England, consecutive raids were conducted on shops suspected of laundering black money by using the traditional Turkish barber concept. Gangs are alleged to use fake barber shops as a front. Reported by Gökhan Bozkurt. In recent times in England, barbers on main streets that report significant earnings but are constantly empty have come under scrutiny. Over 750 shops were opened just last year. The number of barber shops is estimated to be in the tens of thousands. The National Crime Agency, in coordination with the Ministry of the Interior, has started monitoring some new shops. The number of chairs and occupancy rates are being observed and matched with reported earnings. Those that report high earnings despite being constantly empty are being identified one by one. During raids conducted nationwide, numerous individuals have been detained and tens of thousands of pounds in cash have been seized. Some barber shops are evaluated to be used to launder proceeds from drug trafficking and provide employment to undocumented migrants. TURKISH BARBERS DISTURBED Allegations made against Turkish barbers have caused serious unease. Barbers who have been working in the United Kingdom for many years want to be distinguished from those with malicious intent. Taşkın Hamit, who works as a barber in England, expressed his reaction saying, “It bothers us for sure, we don’t want to hear such things. We are not like this. Most of us are not. This could be true for any profession, not just barbers.”