A police force has been granted permission to keep gold worth £1.8 million seized at Manchester Airport after officers intercepted a passenger carrying the items in his hand luggage. The gold, consisting of five bars weighing more than 15kg, was discovered in May 2025 as the man prepared to travel abroad.
++ Rare blue-faced monkeys spotted swinging through remote forest in Vietnam
Greater Manchester Police impounded the gold after suspecting it was linked to criminal activity. Following a months-long investigation by the force’s economic and cyber crime unit, a forfeiture order was approved at Manchester magistrates’ court under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
The decision represents the largest haul of its kind awarded to the force. Police confirmed that 50 per cent of the recovered funds will be reinvested into communities across Greater Manchester through the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme, which supports projects aimed at reducing crime, protecting the public and assisting victims.
++ Peace talks risk entrenching future conflict in Ukraine
Detective Inspector Sarah Langley said the case underlined the force’s commitment to tackling money laundering in all its forms. She added that by targeting high-value assets used to conceal criminal profits, police aim to disrupt the financial structures that enable organised crime and ensure that illicit activity does not pay.
