The Atmosphere Company says has recognized a dramatic rise within the scale and complexity of fraud within the waste export trade within the final three years – with criminals falsely claiming to have exported packaging waste that both by no means existed, was not UK sourced or had already been the topic of a declare, with complete waste crime costing the UK economic system an estimated £1 billion annually.
Packaging Export Recycling Notes offers waste exporters proof that they’ve met their authorized recycling obligations, nevertheless, rogue operators exploit the system by falsifying paperwork, undermining authentic companies. The results of that is that unlawful waste finally ends up being exported out of the UK and is commonly dumped in areas abroad the place it harms the setting.
Because the waste regulator in England, the Atmosphere Company is decided to make life tougher for criminals and their skilled enablers via enforcement motion and prosecution.
Proof has been discovered of refined and established cash laundering networks set as much as obtain not solely the proceeds of Packaging Export Recycling Word fraud however monies from profit fraud, VAT fraud and acquisitive crime. Such criminality is just not solely primarily based within the UK as prison networks lengthen throughout worldwide boundaries.
Strong motion is being taken by the Atmosphere Company. Throughout 2024, working along with the North West and Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Models and police forces throughout England, 17 people have been arrested for fraud and cash laundering. In Could 2024 after a proactive operation, a suspect was arrested as he entered the UK from Spain at Birmingham Worldwide airport.
Account Freezing Orders have already led to the forfeiture of £665,000. Additional restraints of belongings are at present into consideration and upon any conviction, confiscation procedures underneath the Proceeds of Crime Act can be initiated.
A devoted group of skilled and expert investigators has been elevated four-fold in numbers to deal with this problem and has been complemented by the Atmosphere Company’s personal Financial Crime Unit staffed by Accredited Monetary Investigators, Intelligence Officers and cash laundering consultants.
Jon Ashcroft, Producer Duty Regulatory Providers Operations Supervisor on the Atmosphere Company, mentioned:
“Waste crime has a particularly dangerous influence on the environment and the Atmosphere Company is decided to crack down on it, working with regulation enforcement companies to disrupt organised crime, arrest suspects and safe convictions.
“Our investigations target the criminals committing fraud as well as those involved in the facilitation of offending. If you are involved, the likelihood is that our law enforcement partners will be knocking on your door soon.”
Robust relationships with home and overseas authorities are key to this effort, with proof collected from waste reprocessing websites the world over being very important intelligence for our groups. For instance, EA investigators had been lately deployed to Vilnius, Lithuania to collect proof as a part of an ongoing investigation in collaboration with the Lithuanian Division of Environmental Safety.
Prevention and disruption are integral within the struggle in opposition to organised crime and fraud. Refusing excessive threat purposes is a helpful instrument, stopping fraud and the illegal acquisition of Packaging Export Recycling Word income.
In 2023 the Company obtained 435 purposes for accreditation and authorised 386. Over 3 occasions extra purposes had been refused and withdrawn in 2023 in comparison with 2022. This development continues into 2024 with 10 ‘in year’ purposes refused up to now.
If you happen to suspect somebody is working in a fraudulent method, the EA asks you to contact ProRes_InvestigationTeam@environment-agency.gov.uk or anonymously at Crimestoppers.
