National Crime Agency (NCA)

Warning: this post contains references to child sexual abuse. A man who subjected a vulnerable young girl to years of sustained sexual abuse 17 years ago has been convicted, following a National Crime Agency investigation. David Fish, 46, of Kilnhurst in Rotherham, raped, wounded and forced the girl to take part in sexually explicit videos over the course of two years, Sheffield Crown Court heard. Fish began grooming the girl in 2007, when she was around 15 years old and in care. After approaching the girl and her friends at a local park, Fish, who was in his 20s, exchanged numbers with her. The court heard how the young girl was infatuated with the much-older Fish, who often plied her with drugs and alcohol, going on to exploit her trust in him by coercing her into sex. Officers from Operation Stovewood – the NCA’s investigation into historic allegations of sexual abuse in Rotherham – launched an investigation in 2018, after reviewing a report the victim had made to police. The victim, by then in her 20s, agreed to talk to NCA officers. After investigators listened to the woman’s account, they identified corroborating evidence and arrested Fish in 2020. Fish was charged on 23 August 2023 with seven offences. He pleaded guilty to two sexual offences and was today found guilty of two further sexual offences, including rape, and a count of unlawful wounding. He was found not guilty of two counts of rape. It’s never too late to report child sexual abuse. Adults who suffered sexual abuse as a child can report it to police by calling 101, or in person at a police station. Reports are handled by officers who are specially trained in supporting victims and dealing with such sensitive cases. Full story ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eAgSKTjP

An Irish woman has been charged with drugs offences after more than £950,000 worth of cannabis was seized at Belfast City Airport. Stella Doyle-Daly, 18, from Hanover Street, Dublin, was arrested by NCA officers after she was stopped at the airport on Tuesday. She had travelled from Thailand via Doha and Heathrow airport. A search of two suitcases by Border Force officers found almost 48 kilos of cannabis. The drugs would be worth an estimated £956,000 at street level. Doyle-Daly was interviewed by NCA officers yesterday and charged with drugs importation offences. The NCA continues in our work to prevent drugs from reaching the streets of the UK. We will pursue the organised crime groups behind importations and the couriers paid to transport the drugs across the border. The gangs behind these smuggling attempts are only interested in making money. Their couriers, who are likely to be arrested and prosecuted, are expendable. We would appeal to those thinking of getting involved drug smuggling on behalf of these gangs to think about the consequences of their actions – you will be identified and prosecuted. Full story ➡️ https://lnkd.in/enq6mDNq

We have all become more vulnerable to organised crime as a result of living more of our lives online. The majority of crime now occurs online or is enabled by online resources. Addressing these issues will require us to rethink how we seek justice, the only way we can tackle the changing threat is collectively, both domestically and with our international partners. Read more ➡️ https://lnkd.in/etK6FrDn

Eleven people have been charged with attempting to smuggle more than 300 kilos of cannabis into the UK via Heathrow and Gatwick airports over the space of two days. Between the 14 and 20 September, 17 people have been arrested and charged with attempting to traffic approximately 618 kilos of cannabis into the UK. They include professional footballer Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and Nathaniel Benson, who are currently remanded in custody. In August, the NCA issued a warning to travellers arriving into the UK from Thailand, Canada and the USA that they face jail sentences if caught attempting to smuggle cannabis into the country. However, arrests are still being made and the amount of cannabis seized in the UK so far in 2024 is three times more than the whole of 2023. The increase in these seizures is fuelled by organised crime gangs who have access to cannabis grown overseas, in locations where it is legal, who are recruiting couriers to transport it to the UK where it can generate greater profit for them than growing the drugs themselves. The NCA continues to warn people attempting to smuggle huge quantities of cannabis into the country. The gangs behind the trafficking of cannabis into the UK do not care that the couriers will likely be arrested and end up in prison – their sole purpose is to make money. Anyone who attempts to smuggle drugs into the UK needs to know that you will be identified, you will be arrested and you will spend time in prison. Anyone with information on the smuggling of drugs through UK ports is urged to report it by calling Border Force’s Customs Hotline on 0800 595 000. Read the full story ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eZEiE-hk

Warning: this post contains references to child sexual abuse. A child sex offender caught by the NCA and international police after five years on the run has been jailed for eight years for indecently assaulting a girl in 2003. Officers from Operation Stovewood – the NCA’s investigation into historic allegations of sexual abuse in Rotherham – charged Shahid Hussain in July 2018 after investigating an allegation that he assaulted a child. The victim told investigators how Hussain began spending time with her when she was 14. One evening Hussain led the girl through a gate into a dark area, where he made sexual demands of her. She refused his requests and Hussain pushed her to the ground and indecently assaulted her. Hussain was arrested when Operation Stovewood officers investigated the allegation some years later. He was charged and bailed but absconded before he could appear. After five years on the run, Hussain was caught by Bulgarian police officers and extradited back to the UK. A jury at Sheffield Crown Court on 30 July, found him guilty of one count of indecent assault. Shahid Hussain will also face deportation when he has served his sentence, he was told at Sheffield Crown Court today [24 September]. It’s never too late to report child sexual abuse. Adults who suffered sexual abuse as a child can report it to police by calling 101, or in person at a police station. Reports are handled by officers who are specially trained in supporting victims and dealing with such sensitive cases. Read the full story ➡️ https://lnkd.in/e3U-Y5VW

Every penny made from money laundering represents financial gain from illicit activity that causes untold harm to individuals and communities – and costs the UK over £100 billion each year.   Money laundering fuels the drug trade and serious violence on our streets and deprives society of legitimate funds that pay for schools, hospitals and social services.   The NCA is working hard to make the UK a hostile environment for money launderers by targeting those at the top of the criminal networks, recovering and confiscating their assets and training financial investigators from across UK law enforcement.   Find out more in the NSA 2024 ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eS_JUp3B

A man from Leeds has been charged with drug smuggling offences by the NCA after five suitcases packed with cannabis were found at Heathrow Airport. Nathaniel Benson arrived into the airport on Wednesday, having flown from Bangkok in Thailand. He was arrested after Border Force officers located 160 packages in the suitcases. His two children were travelling with him, and one bag had been checked in under one of their names. In total more than 100 kilos of cannabis was recovered, which would have had a street value of around £1 million if sold on the streets in the UK. After being interviewed by NCA investigators Benson was charged with importing class B drugs. He appeared at Uxbridge Magistrates Court yesterday and will next appear in October. In August the NCA issued a warning to travellers arriving into the UK from Thailand, Canada and the United States that they face jail sentences if caught attempting to bring cannabis into the country, after a huge upsurge in arrests. The amount of cannabis seized so far in 2024 is already over three times more than in the whole of 2023. People travelling with the drugs as couriers reported being told by their recruiters that they were only risking a fine if caught. However, the maximum sentence for cannabis importation in the UK is up to 14 years in prison. FULL STORY ➡️ https://lnkd.in/e4S-XP76

The figurehead of an organised crime group that attempted to smuggle migrants into the UK has been jailed for 20 years following a major NCA investigation. Muhammad Zada and his five associates were found guilty in July of transporting migrants in vans and a refrigerated lorry after a six-week trial. Zada coordinated at least five conspiracies to smuggle 35 Iraqi-Kurdish and Vietnamese migrants into the UK from France, Belgium and the Netherlands in 2017. NCA investigators believe he is likely to have successfully smuggled hundreds of migrants into the UK illegally prior to these attempts. Each person was charged between £5,000 and £10,000 by the crime group to be hidden in vehicles and brought to the UK. Zada had purchased a van and arranged for ‘Milan Builders’ to be painted on the side before plotting the journeys with the help of Marek Sochanic. The crime group also duped drivers to unwittingly smuggle migrants by tasking them to transport legitimate commodities between the UK to mainland Europe. People were then loaded into vehicles without the driver’s knowledge. Footage captured by NCA officers shows Zada examining the campervan hired by his co-conspirator Gurprit Kahlon to transport the migrants from France. Leading members of the crime group were arrested during a major law enforcement operation across north east England in February 2018. Zada was jailed for 20 years after being found guilty of five counts of conspiring to facilitate breaches of immigration law. His associates received sentences between five and seven years. Today’s outcome is the result of tireless efforts to dismantle people smuggling networks and ensure those treating people as commodities and putting lives at risk are put behind bars. FULL STORY ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eQT5SBP9

A man from County Down who posted an AR-15 assault rifle and two handguns to himself from the United States has been sentenced. William McMullan, from Newtownards, was arrested by NCA officers at his home address and last Thursday pleaded guilty to firearms importation offences. The NCA were alerted after Border Force officers at Coventry International Postal Hub detected parts of the automatic weapon, along with parts of a revolver and a self-loading pistol in two separate packages. Following his arrest McMullan admitted buying the weapons while he was on holiday in the US, and mailing them back to his address in Northern Ireland. Today, at Downpatrick Crown Court, McMullan was sentenced to 10 months in prison, suspended for 12 months. These firearms could have caused mass casualties in the wrong hands. The AR-15 in particular is a military-style rifle, of the type known to have been used in a number of high profile mass-shootings in the United States. There is no place for deadly weapons like these in Northern Ireland. We work closely with our colleagues at Border Force to protect the public by preventing illegal firearms reaching our streets. FULL STORY ➡️ https://lnkd.in/e6DnKK2t

Warning: this post contains references to child sexual abuse. A man who sexually abused a vulnerable young girl 16 years ago has been jailed for 21 years, following an NCA investigation. Neil King, 51, from Rotherham, was today sentenced for 17 sexual offences against the girl and her best friend. Officers from the NCA’s Operation Stovewood found that King began abusing the first victim in the summer of 2008, with his then-girlfriend, Louise Tye. Tye – who is now deceased – knew the girl through her father and planned to sexually exploit her. She forced the girl to participate in sex with herself and King, and King paid Tye money for her assistance in the abuse. King’s offences included raping the girl at his home and in his car. On one occasion the girl was accompanied by her best friend, aged around 13 or 14 at the time, and King abused them together. Today, King is in prison because of the brave testimonies of the victims and the determination of National Crime Agency officers to seek justice. The NCA's Operation Stovewood remains the single biggest investigation of its kind, looking at allegations of abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013. NCA officers have identified more than 1,100 victims, and to date 37 people – including King - have been convicted. More than 50 active investigations remain ongoing. FULL STORY ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eH5KGxG2