Police discovered nearly £1 million in cash stuffed inside shoe boxes and bags while searching a man’s home following a vehicle stop.

The suspect was found to be in possession of £12,000 when officers from the Metropolitan Police’s Operation Venice, a squad set up to stop moped crime, pulled him over in north London on Tuesday.

Unable to explain why he had so much money on him, officers went to his home in Haringey where they found the much larger stash of banknotes along with a number of passports. The man was arrested under the Proceeds of Crime Act and remains in custody at a police station in northwest London.

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Detective Chief Inspector Shaun White, who leads Operation Venice, said they had ‘seized almost £1 million’, adding: ‘There is no justifiable reason for this much cash not being kept in a bank account unless it has been sourced from ill-gotten activities involving criminality.

‘This is a great seizure involving both strands of Operation Venice – our Scorpion drivers, who use motorbikes and cars to stop criminals using powered two-wheelers, and our Venice Investigations Team, who carry out the searches and develop the arrests through court in order to secure convictions.

‘Operation Venice officers work around the clock, alongside, and supported by officers from around the Met to tackle serious and organized crime. ‘We will continue to work with them to arrest and prosecute those who believe they can get away with criminal behavior in the capital.’

METRO