UK Policing News

A 35-year-old man has pleaded guilty to drug offences following the seizure of cocaine worth up to £400,000. An investigation by the joint National Crime Agency and Metropolitan Police Organised Crime Partnership (OCP) led to officers stopping a black BMW on the M40 slip road at junction 9 with the A41 on 22 March. The passenger in the vehicle had earlier failed to stop for police on the M1 near Junction 15 of the M1 (Newport Pagnell) while driving a different car. Investigators found the vehicle, an Audi A6, abandoned near Rugby with three kilograms of cocaine lying nearby and one kilogram in the boot of the car. Arian Alijaj, 35, from Southgate, London, was arrest…

A Dutchman jailed for 17 years after attempting to smuggle cocaine into the UK hidden in a horsebox has been ordered to hand over £217,000. Marinus Van Gerwen, aged 54, was given 28 days to pay or face a further two years in prison. The National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation started when officers stopped Van Gerwen as he arrived at Dover Eastern Docks driving a horsebox on 13 July 2017. Fifty one kilo blocks of cocaine were found hidden in a purpose-built concealment in the wall of the horsebox. The cocaine had an estimated street value of £3.96 million. There were also two horses in the back which were collected by a horse transportation company and taken to a v…

Criminals are using the Covid-19 pandemic to scam the public – don’t become a victim. Law enforcement, government and private sectors partners are working together to encourage members of the public to be more vigilant against fraud, particularly about sharing their financial and personal information, as criminals seek to capitalise on the Covid-19 pandemic. Criminals are experts at impersonating people, organisations and the police. They spend hours researching you for their scams, hoping you’ll let your guard down for just a moment. Stop: Taking a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information could keep you safe. Challenge: Could it be…

A man arrested in the Netherlands on Christmas Day as part of a National Crime Agency investigation into the alleged importation of firearms has been extradited back to the UK to face trial. Daniel Burdett, 28, from Liverpool, was detained on a European Arrest Warrant as he sat down to eat Christmas dinner in The Hague after 5 years on the run. Last week, he was brought back to the UK by NCA officers following the conclusion of his extradition hearings in the Netherlands. Burdett appeared before Manchester Magistrates on 19 March, where he was remanded in custody until his next appearance at Manchester Crown Court on 26 March. Burdett, who is also wanted by Merseysi…

Coronavirus: UK wakes to strict new curbs on life 24 March 2020 Related TopicsCoronavirus pandemic Media playback is unsupported on your device Media captionBoris Johnson: "You must stay at home" Boris Johnson has outlined strict new measures to tackle the spread of coronavirus, including a ban on public gatherings of more than two people. In a televised statement …

Coronavirus: MPs to debate emergency legislation 23 March 2020 Related TopicsCoronavirus pandemic Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Pictures taken over the weekend showed people across p…

The National Crime Agency today warned that organised crime groups may try to exploit the coronavirus outbreak to target the UK. Despite the unprecedented situation with the pandemic, the NCA is continuing to protect the public and leading the UK’s fight to cut serious and organised crime throughout this difficult time. Steve Rodhouse, NCA Director General (operations), said: “Our mission in leading the fight against serious and organized crime has never been more important, and our work continues. “We recognise that the Covid-19 outbreak may provide opportunities for criminals, and we are monitoring intelligence and crime trends to ensure that we, and the whole law…

Boots has made legal history by launching a private prosecution against a career criminal who police released despite him being caught shoplifting red-handed. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8118661/amp/Boots-launches-landmark-legal-battle-shoplifter-police-let-off.html How was this a civil matter?

National Crime Agency investigators have charged a German truck driver with attempting to import class A drugs, following a huge seizure of cocaine at Dover. The haul, which weighed almost half a tonne, was found by Border Force officers carrying out checks on vehicles entering the UK on the evening of Wednesday 18 March. Packages containing 470 kilos of drugs had been stuffed inside tyres that were being transported from the Netherlands on the back of a lorry. The seizure was referred to the NCA, who have launched an investigation. The lorry driver, 56-year-old German national Kawus Rafiei from Riedbahn in Germany was questioned and later charged with the importati…

A 30-year-old man has been charged with seven offences following the seizure of two firearms, over 200 rounds of ammunition and cannabis. Stephen Dema from Blackpool was arrested by NCA investigators on Wednesday 18 March after the weapons – an AKM Kalashnikov rifle and a Zoraki 9mm hand gun – were discovered by Border Force officers carrying out checks on UK-bound vehicles in Coquelles, France. The seizure was referred to the NCA who launched an investigation. Dema has now been charged with the following: Importation of firearms Possession of a firearm x2 Importation and possession of ammunition Possession of cannabis Possession of cannabis resin He is due to app…

Three men have been charged following the seizure of 7kgs of cocaine in Heston, South West London, last week. Michael Middleton (40) of Rochford Road, Portsmouth, Andrew Adams (55) of Sudboughn Road, Felixstowe, and Ervis Hoxha (31) of Beechcroft Road, Tooting, were arrested on Thursday 12 March by officers from the joint NCA and Metropolitan Police Organised Crime Partnership. Prior to their arrests, Middleton and Adams had driven back to the UK via the Eurotunnel service from Calais to Folkstone. They then drove to Westbrook Road in Heston, where they met with Hoxha. Officers seized a rucksack from the scene in which the drugs were hidden. Following the search of …

A barman who made 45,651 child abuse images has been sentenced to nine months in jail suspended for 18 months, after a National Crime Agency investigation. NCA officers arrested Ethan Chapman, 20, of Darlington, in August 2018 as a result of an investigation on the dark web. His smartphone and laptop were seized and Chapman was bailed while the devices were forensically examined. NCA investigators found 45,651 deleted child abuse images – 36,186 at the worst category A level. Chapman’s laptop showed he had used the dark web and various anonymisation techniques to hide his true identity. He answered no questions when interviewed by officers. In January he admitted …