National Crime Agency (NCA)

Eighteen members of an international organised crime group (OCG) have been convicted after an NCA investigation into the UK’s biggest ever detected drugs conspiracy. The offenders are thought to have smuggled several billion pounds worth of heroin, cocaine and cannabis to the country. From south east England to Scotland, crime gangs were fed drugs from the OCG’s importations – which are believed to have contained more than 50 tonnes of drugs - the weight of around 30 family sized cars. Six seizures of drugs with a total street value of £40m were made from the OCG but NCA investigators proved there were at least 240 importations by the OCG, which went to great lengths to confuse the authorities and avoid justice. The OCG was led by Paul Green, 59, who was jailed for 32 years. As well as bringing in his own OCG’s drugs for sale, Green specialised in operating a smuggling route for other UK based crime groups. To avoid detection, the OCG concealed its drugs in consignments of strong-smelling foodstuffs such as onions, garlic and ginger. In 2018, after the NCA and Dutch Police began working together, the vast scale of the OCG’s offending became clear. Joint working led to the seizure of 450kg of cocaine and heroin and two tonnes of cannabis across three seizures at the ports of Killingholme and Immingham, both Lincolnshire, and one in the Netherlands. Judge Paul Lawton told the offenders: “It was only the dedication, persistence and professionalism of the National Crime Agency working in conjunction with their Dutch counterparts that the scale and complexity of your operation was unmasked.” Tackling the drugs threat is a top priority for the agency and this investigation shows the lengths we will go to in order to protect the public. We worked with a wide array of partners at home and abroad, all of whom provided crucial assistance in helping us put these criminals behind bars. FULL STORY ➡️ https://lnkd.in/e7A8MBA2

We know it's Cyber Monday but instead of encouraging shopping online, Cyber Choices are encouraging ‘open conversations’ between parents and kids, or even a debate in the classroom around online activities. Some great starter questions are: ❓Do you think it is ok to hack into someone else’s account? ❓Do you think it is just a prank for using a booter tool to kick someone off an online game? Find more resources to aid these conversations at ➡️ www.cyberchoices.uk

Members of an organised crime group that attempted to import 1.2 tonnes of cocaine into the UK with the help of a corrupt port security guard have been jailed for a total of more than 74 years following a major National Crime Agency-led operation. The operation took place at Sheerness Port in Kent in December 2021, and saw more than a hundred officers swoop on the gang as they attempted to recover the drugs from a container. The drugs, which had an estimated street value of more than £90 million, had arrived on a vessel from Costa Rica and were hidden inside a shipment of bananas. The shipment had been arranged by gang leaders Danny Laird, 41, from Buntingford in Hertfordshire, and Joel McCaughey, 34, from Manchester. However, they were unaware they had been the subject of a two-month surveillance operation by the NCA, whose officers watched as a series of meetings took place at pubs, cafes and service stations to organise the importation and recover the drugs. Six men were charged with conspiring to import class A drugs, and all pleaded guilty, while Elphick pleaded guilty to participating in the activities of an organised crime group. Today a judge at Maidstone Crown Court sentenced Turner to 11 years; Laurie to 12 years and four months; Davidson to 10 years; Woodward to 11 years and three months; Laird to 14 years and eight months and McCaughey to 13 years and four months. The NCA is committed to working with partners to break the supply chains behind the drug trade and dismantle the organised crime groups involved. Full story ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ed-_EZxu

Shopping for #BlackFriday? Between November 2023 and January 2024, over 16,500 people lost more than £11.5M to scammers! Keep cyber criminals from landing a blow to your wallet with our top tip for securing your important accounts. #StopThinkFraud Learn more: https://lnkd.in/e53VcW7w

WARNING: This story contains references to child sexual abuse. A man from Exeter who distributed videos of himself sexually assaulting a young girl online has been jailed for 25 years. NCA investigators arrested Woody Spencer at his home earlier this year after receiving information from the Australian Federal Police relating to a video posted online of child sexual abuse. Despite attempts to conceal his identity in the video, experts from the NCA’s victim identification team were able to identify him and he was arrested. Spencer’s phone was found to contain 163 indecent images of children. Additional evidence was identified relating to voyeurism offences against an 18-year-old woman, who Spencer had covertly recorded without permission whilst she was in the shower. He was found guilty of numerous offences at Exeter Crown Court including assault of a child under 13 by penetration. He pleaded guilty to the voyeurism offence at an earlier hearing. Spencer was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment and placed on the sex offenders register for life at the same court today. Tackling the global threat of online child sexual abuse is a priority for the NCA and our partners. We will continue to protect the victims of these crimes and prevent offenders like Spencer from causing harm. FULL STORY ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ewXWrDvZ

📺 Watch the story of people smugglers Dilshad Shamo and Ali Khdir in Undercover People Smugglers on BBC iPlayer. The NCA’s Derek Evans provided an exclusive interview on how our officers painstakingly pieced together the duo's movements, using tactics including surveillance, to prove their crimes. Catch up now ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eJS4vKJ3

NCA officers have arrested one of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)'s most wanted fugitives in Wales. Daniel Andreas San Diego was detained in an operation supported by Counter Terrorism Policing and North Wales Police yesterday and now faces extradition to the US to face charges.

Be cautious of anyone asking to use your bank account to transfer money. You could get a criminal record or even a 14-year prison sentence. Read more ➡️ https://lnkd.in/e6PcuAv3 #DontBeUsed #DontBeaMule

Two men who ran a people smuggling ring from Caerphilly to move thousands of migrants across Europe have been convicted following a NCA investigation. On the surface, Dilshad Shamo and Ali Khdir appeared to be running a successful car wash franchise. However, they were actually under surveillance by NCA investigators who had uncovered their roles in a huge people smuggling ring. The investigation was supported by Gwent Police. Shamo and Khdir were working as part of a larger OCG to facilitate the movement of migrants from Iraq, Iran and Syria. Many of them are suspected of arriving in the UK. Migrants were offered three tiers of service – via vehicle, cargo ships or yachts, and the top tier by plane. They also used messaging and social media apps to provide videos from people who had already taken the journey so they could advertise their routes. After hearing ten days of evidence against them, both pleaded guilty to all offences today (22 November). A further hearing will be held on Monday ahead of sentencing. Our evidence showed migrants moving under Khdir and Shamo made it to EU countries and we assess their journeys have and would have continued into the UK. Tackling organised immigration crime is a top priority for the NCA and we will continue to do all we can to bring those involved in people smuggling networks to justice. Read the full story ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eyAVM39f

A man suspected of being involved in a people smuggling organised crime group bringing people from France and Belgium has been brought back to the UK after absconding. NCA officers arrested Arsen Feci, 46, from Broxtowe Street, Nottingham, on his return to Heathrow airport on Wednesday. Feci had been arrested in Spain in August 2024 having fled Britain in March 2023 when he was bailed by the courts ahead of his trial. He appeared before Nottingham Crown Court yesterday morning charged with assisting unlawful immigration to the UK. NCA investigators believe Feci was involved in buying equipment and sourcing people to 'staff' crossings from France and Belgium to the UK. The NCA has global reach and we will continue to work closely with our international partners to bring those who try to evade justice back to the UK to face the courts. Full story ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ezvfyvFn