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ARTICLE · 10 JUNE 2026

Waste Packaging Fraud: Investigations And Prosecution Risks

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In March 2026, Environment Agency (EA) officers worked alongside West Midlands Police to arrest a suspect in Birmingham for conspiracy to defraud and money laundering...

United KingdomEnvironment
Tom McNeill
Tom McNeill
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Dawn Raids 

In March 2026, Environment Agency (EA) officers worked alongside West Midlands Police to arrest a suspect in Birmingham for conspiracy to defraud and money laundering in connection with the alleged unlawful selling of more than £2 million in packaging waste credits for exports suspected of never taking place.

That arrest followed a similar raid the previous month, when two individuals in Penzance were arrested in connection with alleged waste packaging fraud worth more than £6 million. Those involved are suspected of selling credits for packaging they claimed to have reprocessed, when a significant proportion of the alleged reprocessing is suspected never to have taken place.

The EA, having faced widespread criticism for not doing enough to effectively tackle a “plague” of waste crime, claims that these raids are sending a clear message that it will “hunt down” waste criminals. There are likely to be more raids and arrests to follow. 

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