Seven charged with money laundering
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Seven men have been charged with allegedly laundering money stolen from online bank accounts, police said today.
They were arrested at addresses in West Sussex and Portsmouth, Hampshire, on Tuesday morning.
Detectives are now investigating possible links with the arrests of 20 people in London in connection with an alleged multimillion-pound plot to steal from British bank accounts.
The seven men arrested on the South Coast are all Polish nationals.
A Hampshire Police spokeswoman said they were arrested as part of Operation Aggregate, an investigation into a group which was believed to be operating as a cell of a larger organised crime gang.
She said: "The group is alleged to have accessed victims' online bank accounts and transferred money to accounts under their control.
"It is alleged that the men then used bank cards to withdraw the stolen cash at foreign exchange facilities.
"There are potential links between the Hampshire investigation and arrests made on Tuesday by the Metropolitan Police Central e-Crime Unit.
"The raids and arrests were carried out in a co-ordinated fashion between the two forces and potential links are being explored.
"It is too early to comment further on this link at this time whilst this is under investigation."
Detective Sergeant Ben Chivers, of Hampshire Constabulary's Serious and Organised Unit, said: "This inquiry was initiated as the result of irregular bank account activity.
"Online banking customers are advised to make sure their security systems are up to date and be alert to any unusual or additional security features requested which is at variance with their normal log-on experience."
The suspects are Daniel Jarco, 30, of Market Street, Bognor Regis; Sebastian Stepka, 26, of Sandringham Way, Bognor Regis; Piotr Buscek, 31, of Leas Court, Bognor Regis; Krysztof Klatta, 29, of Abbotsbury, Bognor Regis; Marek Lach, also known as Daniel Kwasniak, 32, of St Augustine Road, Littlehampton; Damien Grabowski, 26, of no fixed address in the Bognor Regis area; and Piotr Karolewski, 20, of Laburnum Grove, Portsmouth.
They are due to appear before magistrates in Portsmouth later.