Police arrest 29 ‘money mules’

Almost 30 people have been charged after a police crackdown in Scotland on “money mules” who keep cash in their bank accounts for criminals.

Officers from the Organised Crime and Counter Terrorism Unit (OCCTU) arrested and charged the group of 29 in connection with money laundering offences in a week-long operation last month.

Police warned organised crime groups are targeting school children to become money mules and are recruiting them via social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter.

Authorities warned acting as a mule is a criminal offence.

Police have sent a letter highlighting the dangers to Education Scotland and have asked for it to be issued to the parents of every secondary school pupil.

The 29 people charged are from Lanarkshire, Dunbartonshire, Ayrshire, West Lothian and Glasgow.