National Crime Agency (NCA)

Home News 29 kilos of class A recovered following joint NCA and MPS investigation Return to News 7 June 2017 Three people have been charged with conspiracy to supply class A drugs after officers from the NCA and Metropolitan Police Service's Organised Crime Partnership recovered 29 kilos of class A drugs in East London. Andrea Kidd (49) from Bletchley, Milton Keynes, was handed seven kilos of cocaine by Samsul Ali (25) and Ibrahim Miah (24) both from E14, in the Limehouse area of London and all three were arrested in a car shortly after. Officers searched Miah’s home in Coltman Street E14 and found part of a drug pressing machine and £3,000. They also found docum…

Return to News 7 June 2017 The Hellenic Police have used National Crime Agency (NCA) intelligence to dismantle a people smuggling network. Comprising two organised crime groups, the smugglers were moving migrants from Greece to countries in Northern Europe and Canada via the Balkans. They charged 4000-6000 Euros for passage to European countries and as much as 16,000 Euros for passage to Canada. NCA support The NCA shared intelligence with the Hellenic Police that identified senior members of the crime group and their criminal activities. NCA supported the Greek investigation through frequent intelligence exchange and by conducting inquiries using its own internati…

Home News London Bridge and Borough Market terror attack Return to News 4 June 2017 National Crime Agency Director General Lynne Owens has issued the following statement on the London Bridge and Borough Market terror attacks: 
“First and foremost our thoughts have to be with the family and friends of everyone killed or injured in last night’s horrific attack.
 
 “But I’d also like to pay tribute to the bravery and professionalism of the emergency services who attended the incident, in particular those law enforcement colleagues who risked their lives to protect the public and confronted the attackers.
 
“The investigation is being led by the Metropolitan Police Co…

Home News NCA operation brings down pilot’s smuggling crime group Return to News 31 May 2017 Two men who conspired with a pilot to fly cocaine and heroin across the channel in a rented aircraft have been given prison sentences totaling 14 years following an investigation involving the National Crime Agency, Border Force and French authorities. Wayne Coates, 49, (below right) from Wigan and Jamie Sharples, 30, (below left) from Bolton had been due to collect a delivery of class A drugs from pilot Philip Molyneux. Coates travelled to meet him at an airfield near Clacton, Essex on the morning of 31 October 2012. However, Molyneux never made the rendezvous. He was a…

Home News Threat level changes to Severe Return to News 27 May 2017 THREAT LEVEL UPDATE: NCA officers will remain at readiness over the weekend - despite the UK terrorism threat level being reduced from Critical to Severe , DG Lynne Owens has confirmed. It was confirmed today (27 May) that the action had been taken after three days at the highest threat level in the wake of the Manchester terrorist attack. However, the agency remains on a high state of readiness and is ready to support policing colleagues as required during the bank holiday break. You can report any suspicious activity to police on the Anti-Terrorism Hotline on 0800 789 321 or by calling 999. …

Home News Almost £120,000 clawed back from money launderer Return to News 26 May 2017 A money launderer has been deprived of almost £120,000 after a National Crime Agency court claim. A judge ruled that cash seized from Daniel Harris, 37, was the proceeds of crime. NCA officers found the money in March last year when they raided Harris’s home as part of an investigation into a drug smuggling ring. £118,000 was hidden in a holdall inside his baby daughter’s wardrobe. In custody he claimed to officers that the cash was for legal fees for a relative who had been arrested in Spain. He could not explain why he kept the large sum of money in cash in his child’s wardro…

Return to NewsThe head of an organised crime group which smuggled drugs and cash between Ibiza and Wales has been jailed following an investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA). Nicholas Strange, 34, (pictured top) lived on the Spanish island and sourced cocaine sold by his father Neil, 61, and associate Martyn Pagett, 31, from a travellers site in Nantyglo, South Wales. He was today sentenced to 10 years in prison at Cardiff Crown Court after pleading guilty to two counts of supplying class A drugs and one of laundering the cash made by the group. Neil Strange (pictured second) is already serving eight-and-a-half-years for helping him to smuggle the cash back to…

Home News Jail for Swansea man with "stomach churning" chat logs Return to News 26 May 2017 A 32-year-old man has been jailed for 15 years after pleading guilty to sexually abusing two children under the age of 13. Jason Piontecki, from Rhoddfa Eos, Swansea was convicted in March 2017 of making and possessing indecent images of children, after National Crime Agency officers identified that he was using online chat rooms and forums to stream live and recorded child sexual abuse. Allegations of sexual abuse were later made against him and Piontecki was re-arrested by officers from the NCA’s CEOP Command on suspicion of sexually abusing two children. He was interview…

Home News Operation Stovewood: Three charged with child sexual abuse Return to News 25 May 2017 Three men have been charged with numerous sexual offences in Rotherham as part of the National Crime Agency’s Operation Stovewood. Asghar Bostan, 47 from East Bawtry Road, Rotherham is charged with raping a female between 2003 and 2004. Mohammed Yasin, 36 from Lilycroft Road, Bradford and Qaiser Iqbal, 35, from Bingley Road, Bradford were charged taking a child away from a responsible person and intentionally arranging or facilitating the travel of a female for the purposes of sexual abuse between 2004 and 2006. All three have been released and will appear at Sheffie…

Return to News 23 May 2017 NCA officers stand together with those affected by the terrorist attack at Manchester Arena. Director General Lynne Owens said her thoughts were with the victims, the loved ones of those who were killed, and the many left injured as a result of the explosion. She praised the courage of police officers and other blue light services who responded so quickly and who have been on duty throughout the early hours of this morning. The NCA is providing specialist support and will continue to offer every assistance in responding to the incident. Share this Page: View the full article

Home News Dark web grenade buyer had stash of knives and knuckle dusters Return to News 19 May 2017 A 22-year-old man who attempted to buy a grenade on the dark web has been jailed for 10 years following an investigation by the NCA and Met Police Organised Crime Partnership (OCP). Luis McMullan admitted searching for a fragmented grenade on an illicit online market place and paying in full for the explosive using Bitcoins. He was arrested at his home in Tufnell Park, London, on 29 November 2016. During a search of the property officers found 30 rounds of ammunition, a small bag of MDMA and 78 MDMA tablets stashed in a small box. Officers also recovered two pen…

Home News Three charged after illicit drug factory raided Return to News 17 May 2017 Three people have been charged with conspiracy to supply and conspiracy to export class A drugs after an illicit drugs factory in Morley was raided by officers from the National Crime Agency and West Yorkshire Police. Jake Levene (21) from Tingley, Wakefield, Mandy Christopher Lowther (20) and Lee Childs (44) both from Morley, Leeds were arrested in April 2017 when officers linked them to the drugs. Forensic examinations confirmed the synthetic opiod – Fentanyl – which is up to 100 times stronger than street heroin, and its analogue – Carfentanyl – which is 100 times stronger aga…

Home News Joint operation nets huge haul of cocaine from South American fishing boat Return to News 16 May 2017 A South American fishing vessel carrying approximately 2.4 tonnes of cocaine has been intercepted in the Atlantic Ocean in a joint operation involving the National Crime Agency, the Spanish National Police and the US Drug Enforcement Agency. Acting on intelligence from the NCA, the Ali Primera was boarded by Spanish customs and police officers almost 1,200 nautical miles south west of the Canary Islands. The seven crew were all arrested. It was then taken to Las Palmas on Gran Canaria where a search was carried out. 80 bales of cocaine and a firearm wer…

Home News Jail for traffickers whose lawnmower shipments disguised a tonne of drugs Return to News 15 May 2017 Traffickers who imported more than a tonne of Class A and B drugs in lawnmower shipments have been jailed following a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation. Neil Snazel, 42, of Manchester, (pictured top) imported ecstasy, cannabis and ketamine which Derek Maguire, 55, (pictured bottom) also of Manchester, kept in a storage unit. Investigation The NCA’s investigation of the drug shipments began in October 2015 after Thames Valley Police seized a crate from the Netherlands addressed to a courier. It contained a lawn mower and 11 heat sealed packages…

Return to News15 May 2017 National Crime Agency Director General Lynne Owens has issued an update on the scale of the UK law enforcement response to the global cyber-attack from the ‘WCry’ or ‘WannaDecrypt0r’ ransomware. She said: “As things stand, there is no indication of a second surge of cases here in the UK. “But that doesn’t mean there won’t be one. “We’re trawling through huge amounts of data associated with the attack and identifying patterns. “The NCA is leading the criminal investigation into the attack, but for operational reasons we cannot give a running commentary. “Because of the quantity of data involved and the complexity of these kinds of enquiries …