More than 300 extra police officers have joined regional organised crime units in the past year, with a further 425 set to help tackle issues such as county drugs lines, economic crime and modern slavery by 2023. As part of the Government police uplift programme, which aims to recruit 20,000 new officers by March 2023,…
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Three people from Lancashire have been charged with drugs offences after the vehicle they were travelling in was stopped on the M5 near Exeter as part of a South West regional drugs operation. John Holland, 44, from Field Street, Skelmersdale and Luke Shinner, 18, of Inskip, Skelmersdale, were both arrested on 8 March and have…
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In a significant new approach, police across the South West have combined their operational powers to tackle cross border drugs supply activities. Operation Scorpion took place from 7 March 2022 and across the South West led to: 194 arrests in connection with drugs related offences 55 warrants carried out 400 drug line disruptions £404K (at…
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A man has been jailed after making plans to travel to Wiltshire to sexually abuse a young girl. David Nye, 56, of Stoney Stile Way, Wells, Somerset, pleaded guilty to attempting to arrange the commission of a child sex offence at a hearing in November 2021 following a joint investigation by the South West Regional…
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A man from Bath who organised the supply of at least £3 million worth of cocaine to the South West and boasted to his contacts that his gun had “a silencer…the whole shebang” has been jailed for 26 years. Romaine Hyman, 30, previously of Portland Place, Bath, was found guilty of 18 offences at Bristol…
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An Essex man who travelled to Chippenham with the intention of sexually abusing a young girl has been sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison. Pawel Suszczynski, 28, formerly of Stirling Close, Rainham, Essex, pleaded guilty in December to arranging or facilitating commission of a child sex offence and distributing indecent photographs of children and was…
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Four members of an organised crime group have been sentenced for their roles in supplying huge amounts of cocaine in the West Country following an investigation by the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SW ROCU). Aaron Jefferies, 31, of Allington Drive, Bristol, led the criminal operation. He was convicted following a four-week trial at…
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Police are appealing for information about the whereabouts of two men wanted in connection with an investigation into large-scale drugs supply, firearms offences, and money laundering in the south west. Christopher Barbosa, 29, from Sea Mills in Bristol is charged with conspiracy to supply heroin and cocaine and money laundering. Billy Foster, 33, from Oldland…
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A brand new Channel 4 documentary series launching tonight (19 July) gives viewers a rare insight into the covert police tactics used by the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SW ROCU) as they investigate a human trafficking gang making huge profits exploiting vulnerable women as sex workers in Cheltenham. Filmed over three years, with…
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Two people have been jailed for their roles in conspiring to smuggle eight Albanian migrants into the UK in a small boat following an investigation by the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SW ROCU). James Wisbey, 55, formerly of West Hoe, Plymouth, was the skipper of the yacht, which got stranded off the coast…
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