Officers from the Metropolitan Police arrested nine men on suspicion of ticket touting and associated offences at the UEFA Champions League final at Wembley on Saturday 28 May.
The arrests, which were made by officers from Operation Podium, are part of the MPS crackdown on organised ticketing networks ahead of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. DCI Nick Downing said: "Genuine fans need to be aware they are not only fuelling criminal activity when they buy from a tout, but also putting themselves at risk."
A 38 year old from Bow E3 was arrested on suspicion of touting, and was later bailed till June pending further inquiries.
A 50 year old from Manchester was arrested on suspicion of touting, and was later bailed till June pending further inquiries.
A 32 year old from Birmingham was arrested on suspicion of touting, fraud and money laundering, and was later bailed till June pending further inquiries.
A 35 year old from Germany was arrested on suspicion of touting.
A 36 year old Romanian was arrested on suspicion of touting.
A 25 year old man from Crewe was arrested on suspicion of fraud, and later bailed till June pending further inquiries.
A 20 year old from Upper Holloway N19 was arrested on suspicion of touting.
A 34 year old from Italy was arrested on suspicion of money laundering.
A 24 year old from Italy was arrested on suspicion of money laundering.
Working with Wembley Stadium and UEFA, the team carried out planned intelligence-led operations to target touts illegally selling match tickets. They also carried out a public awareness campaign of the risks and legislation around both football and Olympic tickets.
Detective Chief Inspector Nick Downing, from Operation Podium, said: "Ticket touting is an illegal business run by people to gain financially through the exploitation of clubs and their fans. Genuine fans need to be aware they are not only fuelling criminal activity when they buy from a tout, but also putting themselves at risk as they could find themselves amongst opposing supporters.
"If you buy tickets from unofficial places, you run the risk of paying over the odds for a non-existent ticket, ending up disappointed by not getting to see the game that you paid for, and risk having your personal and credit card details stolen for use in other crimes. Don’t let this happen to you. Only visit official sites for a list of genuine sellers who are authorised to sell legitimate tickets."
Officers from Operation Podium are working up to and during the Games, to create what the Met terms a difficult environment for touts to operate in and to give clear messages to the public on the safest ways to buy Olympic tickets.
For full crime prevention advice on safe ways to buy your ticket visit the Met website at http://www.met.police.uk/olympic_and_paralympic_games_policing
A further 44 people were arrested as part of the policing operation throughout the day for a number of offences, including public order offences, criminal damage and theft. There were no incidents of serious disorder or serious violence.
Despite advice from the police and football authorities, a large number of ticketless fans did attend the stadium. They were refused access, and due to policing tactics and our robust stance with ticket touts and those in possession of fraudulent or counterfeit tickets, we were able to prevent their access to the stadium, and they dispersed.
