UK farm said to be at centre of car thefts – graveyard of ‘100s of stolen motors dumped & stored before sold overseas'
Baldwins Farm in South Essex has recently been exposed in a Channel 4 documentary for allegedly being a hotbed of organised crime.
8
8
8
However, according to the MailOnline, this is far from the first time that the farm has been accused of illegal activity.
Channel 4's recent Dispatches instalment featured Baldwins Farm, and began with an Audi A4 that was stolen from a driveway in North London on March 15th.
Unbeknown to the thieves, the car leasing company had previously fitted the vehicle with a hidden tracker.
The tracker showed the Audi's journey from London to a patch of woodland in Baldwins farm, which is tucked away in an area of green belt just inside the M25.
Possible GPS jamming or blocking equipment was thought to have prevented the tracker from working at the farm, however, five weeks later, it reappeared in Kaunas, Lithuania.
Dispatches then tracked it to a business in the outskirts of the city called Baltic Car Trade.
The documentary showed police as they raided the property, but all that was left was a bunch of wires - the car has been torn apart, like many others that are stolen off of British streets.
Organised gangs of criminals steal thousands of cars each year to then ship abroad as parts destined for scrap yards in the Middle East and Africa.
The Dispatches investigation also revealed that at least two other stolen cars with trackers had ended up at Baldwins farm, in a part of the farm nicknamed 'Lithuanian end.'
However, this allegedly isn't the first time the site has come under fire.
Luxury automaker to convert once-beloved sports bar left abandoned for years into an 'exclusive' motorcycle dealership
In 2020, Essex Police conducted a raid that recovered three Range Rovers and a Land Rover discovery.
Some of the vehicles were already in the process of being broken down for parts.
Dispatches identified Martin Clark as the director of the company that owns the lease to the part of Baldwins that the car was found on.
Clark was jailed in 2007 for six years for his part in a £4million car theft ring.
After being tracked down to a large house in Essex with several parked luxury cars on the drive, Clark told journalist, Matt Shea, to 'F*** off.'
8
8
8
Former police officer, Neil Thomas, told the MailOnline that he wouldn't be surprised if Baldwins Farm had been used to store stolen vehicles.
Thomas, who now works for a private track and recovery service for stolen cars, said: 'The access in and out is quite restricted, it's quite close to London, quite close to the docks, so if you are exporting vehicles it's a really good location.'
According to the MailOnline, who visited the farm last week, there is only one road in and out in the form of a dusty track, and the whole site is brimming with CCTV cameras.
Drone images of the farm show rows of parked vehicles and shipping containers, as well as piles of scrap metal.
There are plenty of legitimate businesses renting units at the farm, including window companies, car repairers and a cement business run by the Bromley family.
However, the MailOnline claims that the site has also long attracted criminal clientele.
Like many semi-rural parts of Essex, the area saw an influx of criminals from the East End during the 1970s and 1980s.
Gangsters found it useful due to it being relatively isolated while still being close to London.
The current Channel 4 investigation focuses on allegations of stolen cars tied to an international smuggling ring.
The family who now run the site, insist that any criminality is a thing of the past.
Jake Bromley, 29, told the MailOnline: 'That stolen Audi has nothing to do with us and we have nothing to do with the land where the Lithuanians are.'
In reference to Martin Clark, who Dispatches reported as holding the lease to the land that the vehicle was tracked to, he said that he simply rents the land to the businessman and will review the contract when it ends in 2026.
Jake explained that himself and his sister, Lily Tiger, 25, are keen to make an honest living and are fearful of this negative publicity.
The pair were made directors of the new company Baldwins Farm Limited in February this year.
8
8
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
5 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
How cartel's underwater drone 'narco subs' could be operating in UK
By Gangs may already be using a new secret weapon to smuggle drugs into Britain in the form of 'narco subs' laden with cocaine, an expert said today. South American cartels regularly smuggle drugs on container ships before jettisoning the packages overboard for UK-based associates to retrieve and transport to land. The National Crime Agency (NCA) launched 60 investigations into such incidents last year, involving small fishing boats or rigid-hull inflatable boats (RHIBs). While many were caught by Border Force cutters, officials fear criminals could innovate by deploying underwater drones - nicknamed 'narco subs' - instead. And, according to one expert, they may already be in operation. South American cartels have long trafficked drugs using manned semi-submersibles, which float just underwater, or even fully fledged submarines. The first submarine linked to drug smuggling in Europe was found off the coast of Spain in 2006. In 2019, police intercepted a 65-foot vessel off the coast of Galicia and found three men onboard. Astonishingly, it is believed to have sailed across the Atlantic from Colombia - a journey of 4,778 nautical miles. Mr Walsh believes there is a possibility manned drug-smuggling submarines have been used off the coast of Britain too. 'I don't see why you couldn't see manned subs or semi-submersibles in the UK, although there are factors to do with shipping and sea conditions that could complicate it,' he said. 'For example, the Channel is a very busy shipping lane, so it may be easier to take the sea route to Spain and then bring the drugs to the UK overland.' Last year, the NCA seized nearly five tonnes of cocaine criminals were bringing in using the 'at-sea drop-off' (ASDO) method. However, all these cases involved boats. The agency has not seen narco subs used in the UK and does not consider it a 'significant threat'. If narco subs did begin operating in domestic waters, it would demonstrate a concerning escalation in the technological capabilities of UK-based criminals. In 2020, Spain's Policia National seized three underwater drones built to smuggle drugs from Morocco over the Strait of Gibraltar. Fitted with GPS navigation systems, the drones could potentially be operated by traffickers from anywhere in the world over the Internet. The unmanned submersibles were said to be capable of carrying up to 200kg (441lbs) of cargo. Narco subs equipped to carry passengers are usually pieced together by the gangs themselves, meaning they can be flimsy and dangerous. In 2024, one crew was rescued from their sinking sub after it was intercepted by Spanish customs officers and police in the Atlantic. Video showed four Colombian men standing on top of the submersible after they deliberately sank it when they saw officers approaching them. In a second clip, the men are seen struggling to stay afloat in the crashing waves by holding onto black barrels. They were then taken onboard the customs vessel and handcuffed. Narco subs deployed in the Americas are typically built deep in cartel-controlled territory. So far, at least three manned subs have been caught near Spain, though authorities estimate that as many as 30 may have avoided detection. Galicia, Spain, has long been considered to be the perfect hub of trafficking. Its rocky coastline means there are countless nooks and crannies for drugs to be pushed onto land before they are sent on to distributors. One vessel caught by police was said to have been carrying 3,000kg of cocaine. Narco subs have also been spotted in the Caribbean, and last year one was boarded by Royal Marine commandos during a maritime security patrol. A boarding team made up of Royal Marines from 47 Commando, specialist sailors and US Coast Guard personnel, clambered aboard the vessel in waters 190 nautical miles south of the Dominican Republic and seized two tonnes of cocaine worth £160m. Two crewmembers were arrested. The bust was the eighth carried out by Portsmouth-based HMS Trent, which intercepted £750m of cocaine over just seven months. As well as hunting drug gangs. Trent also delivers humanitarian aid during the hurricane season.
BBC News
35 minutes ago
- BBC News
Man charged with murder of father and son near London Bridge
A man has been charged with the murder of a father and son who were fatally stabbed at a business near London Bridge. Terry McMillan, 58, and Brendan McMillan, 27, died following the incident near the office of housing provider Trademark Homes in Long Lane, Bermondsey two weeks ago. A 47-year-old man was also stabbed and badly injured, while a fourth man, Hassan Cevik, 31, also sustained stab wounds and was admitted to hospital shortly Cevik was discharged from hospital on Saturday and later charged with two counts of murder, grievous bodily harm and carrying an offensive weapon. Mr Cevik, of Mount Pleasant Lane, Hackney, is due to appear before Croydon Magistrates officers and paramedics were called to Long Lane to reports of a multiple stabbing at about 13:00 BST on 28 McMillan died at the scene, while his father died later in hospital. They were from Chislehurst in south-east London.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Man ‘sexually assaulted by another man' on busy train in broad daylight as cops release CCTV in hunt for passenger
COPS have released CCTV images after a man allegedly sexually assaulted another man on a busy train. The British Transport Police (BTP) said the reported attack occurred on the Elizabeth line on Monday, June 16 at around 8am. At the time of the incident, the pair were stood near the train doors on a service between Chadwell Heath and Whitechapel. Cops have now released an image of a man they would like to speak to following the alleged sexual assault. Detectives believe the man may have information that could help with their investigation. Anyone who recognises him is asked to get in touch with police immediately. You can contact the BTP by texting 61016, or by calling 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference 688 of 16 June. Information can also be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. A spokesperson for BTP said: "Do you recognise this man? "Officers investigating a sexual assault on board a train from Chadwell Heath to Whitechapel have released these images in connection. "On Monday 16 June at around 8am a man sexually assaulted another man as they stood near the doors of the train. "Detectives believe the man in the CCTV image may have information that could help with their investigation."
