More than 100 investigators searched five residential premises across London and Manchester on 13 October 2026 as part of a suspected insider dealing and money laundering inquiry.
Three individuals were arrested in a joint operation by the Financial Conduct Authority and the National Crime Agency, targeting what authorities describe as a suspected organised criminal group. The FCA announced the operation publicly on 13 October 2026, with all three suspects taken to police stations in London and Manchester for interview.
The scale of the search was considerable. Over 100 FCA and NCA staff took part, and investigators seized more than 30 mobile phones, laptops and tablets across the five residential addresses. The identities, ages and the alleged financial value of the suspected activity have not been disclosed in the available official information.
The arrests do not mean charges have been brought. All three individuals remain suspects and are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The operation sits within a broader pattern of FCA enforcement activity. In 2025/26, the regulator secured four insider-dealing convictions — two of which resulted in record sentences totalling 11 years’ imprisonment. Twelve people were also fined a combined £1.77 million that year for insider dealing, market manipulation and making misleading statements, the figures show.
Insider dealing involves using confidential, price-sensitive information to trade unlawfully or to pass that information to others. The NCA leads the UK’s response to serious and organised crime, while the FCA is responsible for investigating suspected market abuse of this kind.
Source: @TheFCA
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