More than 800 Met Police officers carried out a series of dramatic dawn raids yesterday in a major operation targeting one of Britain's most feared crime gangs.

A specialist tactical officer was stabbed in the leg as the force swooped on 24 properties and arrested 17 people across London and four counties.

The operation is believed to have targeted the 'Hunt Syndicate', a criminal network linked to offences ranging from fraud and money laundering to serious violence.

David Hunt, nicknamed the 'Long Fella' due to his 6ft 5in stature, is allegedly the head of the family.

A former close friend of fellow East Ender Reggie Kray, he has always denied any links to crime, has no convictions and has insisted he is a legitimate businessman. 

A police van was seen yesterday leaving Mr Hunt's sprawling Hertfordshire mansion.

Officers blocked the long tree-lined drive leading up to the seven-bedroom home and were seen coming in and out all day. 

Properties were also raided in Essex, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk, with searches expected to continue for several days.

The stabbing happened as officers executed a warrant at an address in Cockfosters, north London.

The officer – from the Met's Tactical Support Group (TSG) – was treated at the scene by colleagues and paramedics before being taken to hospital.

His injuries are not life changing, police said.

The raids were part of an investigation by Met organised crime detectives working alongside HMRC and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

The force said the arrests were 'the product of many months of intense investigation'.

Alongside the 17 arrests, the wider operation saw the FCA disrupt seven firms. The regulator said it is also pursuing a further 30 businesses.

The youngest person arrested was a 26-year-old man on suspicion of participating in the activities of an organised crime group, money laundering, tax evasion and false accounting.

The oldest was a 65-year-old man apprehended on suspicion of participating in the activities of an organised crime group, conspiracy to commit GBH, money laundering and tax evasion.

A Met spokesman said: 'These arrests mark a significant point in this investigation.

'Those arrested are suspected of leading or being involved at a senior level in serious and organised crime and related financial offending.

'We know the impact of serious and organised crime stretches well beyond those at senior levels of the organisations involved. Lines can often be drawn from the top, all the way to those involved in the criminality that blights communities, including serious violence and exploitation.

'Investigating these groups is among the most complex work the Met undertakes. It requires a significant investment of time and money and the expertise not just of specialist police officers but of colleagues from partner organisations like HMRC and the FCA.

'We hope these arrests show how determined we are to ensure organised crime groups cannot operate freely in London. We will work tirelessly to identify them, to gather evidence and to take action.'

Mr Hunt was raised in a cramped council flat in Canning Town, east London, as the youngest of 13 children born to Christian parents.

After leaving school at 16, he became an amateur boxer and quickly gained a reputation as a ferocious fighter.

He ran a waste management company and scrap metal yard before moving into property development.

Mr Hunt is a keen West Ham supporter and a friend of the club's co-owner David Sullivan. He is also close with the boxer Mike Tyson, with whom he shares a love of pigeons.

Another of Mr Hunt's close friends and business associates is the father of former The Only Way Is Essex star Mark Wright. 

The Hunt syndicate was named in a Met intelligence report from the early 2000s into crime gangs alleged to have been assisted by corrupt officers. 

In 2013, Mr Hunt brought an unsuccessful legal case against The Sunday Times for libel for referring to him as a 'crime lord'. 

His counsel portrayed him as a 'rough diamond' who 'was a misunderstood property tycoon whose only passions in life were his family and racing pigeons'.

An FCA spokesman said: 'Tackling financial crime requires the type of partnership shown by today's joint action and the many months of close cooperation leading to it.

'We'll continue to work with the police and others to identify and disrupt organised crime groups who abuse our financial system to launder dirty money.'

HMRC said: 'Today's action highlights the importance of close collaboration between HMRC and other law enforcement partners in tackling serious and organised crime, including suspected money laundering and other criminal activity.'