Police investigating an unlicensed silent disco in Bishop’s Stortford which attracted 300 people in breach of Covid lockdown rules have arrested a 50-year-old woman.
Officers from the East Herts Scorpion team of Hertfordshire Constabulary detained the woman in south-west London on Friday (September 11) on suspicion of money laundering and offences against the Licensing Act 2003.
During a subsequent search of an address, evidence was seized as part of an investigation under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in relation to the rave, which took place in a unit on the Twyford Road industrial estate on the night of Sunday and Monday August 30-31.
Officers who attended the event let it go ahead after they were initially told guests were gathering to celebrate a wedding.
Police have since secured a court closure order for the unit in question, which means anyone who enters the building in the next three months can be arrested.
Investigators are now seeking to have funds believed to have been made by organisers of the event frozen.
A spokeswoman for Herts Constabulary said: “The arrest of this female is just the start of an investigation of the wider network behind the event, which included a specialised sound system and the unlawful sale of alcohol.”
Chief Inspector Stuart Orton, the policing commander for East Herts, said: “In the current climate with Covid circulating ever more virulently in the community, and the latest legislative changes from the Government regarding the permitted size of gatherings, it is imperative that the public abide by social distancing regulations. Breaches will be dealt with robustly and to the full extent of the law.”
