UK underworld runs £40 billion economy

By OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT

London

Aug. 8: Britain’s £40 billion underworld economy is run by homegrown criminals from inside British jails, according to a report.

An intelligence map, which was drawn up by a leading police expert on organised crime, has identified more than 1,000 active criminal networks and revealed that gangland is still controlled by British families, the report in the Times newspaper said.

The intelligence map was constructed by the Association of Chief Police Officers with the support of the 43 police forces in England and Wales and other bodies. More than 15,000 individuals are said to have been identified as involved in organised crime. British-Pakistani gangs dominate Bradford, which is a centre for money laundering and a major distribution point for heroin.

London has more than 170 gangs.