News

Bristol man guilty of drugs and money laundering offences

A Bristol man has pleaded guilty to drugs and money laundering offences after being arrested by officers from the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) last week. Karl McEwing, 39, from Henbury, was arrested last Wednesday afternoon (13/9) following a warrant that led to nearly 17 kilos of high potency imported Californian cannabis, or…
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Aisha Golsby

Former prison officer from HMP Portland jailed

A former prison officer at HMP Portland appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday (18 August) and was sentenced to 16 months in prison. Aisha Golsby, age 23, of Trenchard Way in Weymouth, previously pleaded guilty to six offences committed between June 2021 and March 2022 whilst serving as a prison officer. She was sentenced…
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Showing organised crime groups that the South West is #NoPlaceForDrugs

An operation targeting organised crime groups (OCGs) involved in cannabis cultivation has led to 67 arrests, £6.8 million worth of cannabis and weapons including a 9mm pistol being seized from locations across the South West. The region’s five police forces, supported by the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) and working with the Police…
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More arrests in investigation into class A drug supply in Cornwall

A further five people have been arrested as part of an investigation into class A drug supply in Hayle and Penzance, Cornwall, with another suspect later attending Camborne Police Station. The investigation, led by the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) and supported by Devon and Cornwall Police, has already led to six others…
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Man knocking on front door

Online purchasers of knives in South West issued warnings as part of national crackdown

Seven people who attempted to import illegal bladed weapons purchased online and seized by UK Border Force have been visited by officers from the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) as part of Operation Sceptre, a national crackdown on knife crime. Officers visited the homes of the intended recipients in South Gloucestershire, Bristol, Plymouth,…
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Daniel Keenor

Prolific child sex offender back behind bars

A man from Devon who attempted to target young girls online to sexually abuse has been sentenced to 10 years in prison following an investigation by Devon and Cornwall Police and the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU). Daniel Keenor, 47, formerly of Rosemary Gardens in Paignton and a registered sex offender, had attempted…
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Leo McKoy

Man jailed after his DNA was found on gun heading for Bristol

A man from London has been jailed for five years following an investigation by the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) into the supply of firearms for use by organised crime groups in Bristol. Leo McKoy, 22, from Suffolk Road, Tottenham, was sentenced on Tuesday (9 May) at Bristol Crown Court after being found…
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Stuart Marchmont

Glastonbury man jailed for 10 years after child sexual offences conviction

A sexual offender from Glastonbury has been jailed for 10 years after being found guilty of more than a dozen offences. Stuart Marchmont was found guilty of 13 online sexual offences after a trial in February before being sentenced last week. The court was told the 38-year-old incited a girl, who was 12 at the…
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Joseph Hopkinson jailed for over seven years

Man who arranged to rape child has been jailed

A man who had unknowingly been speaking to police when he was arranging to meet a child to rape has been jailed. Joseph Hopkinson, aged 39, travelled by train from Leicester to Cheltenham in August last year intending to rape a 10-year-old. He had in fact been communicating with officers from the South West Regional…
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Regional police operation sends strong message the South West is #NoPlaceForDrugs

More than 100 people have been arrested and hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of drugs seized as part of the latest phase of a South West regional drugs operation. Results included 7kg of cocaine with a street value of £700k seized from a car which had travelled from Merseyside into Gloucestershire and was brought…
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