Latest news with #RegionalOrganisedCrimeUnit
Sunday World
14-05-2025
- Sunday World
Video shows dramatic moment cops use chainsaw to break through drug dealer's door
Dramatic bodycam footage shows Asrar Rafiq with his hands above his head after police cut through his door in an operation involving firearms officers at a property in Aston The moment a drug dealer came face to face with a chainsaw as armed police broke through door has been caught on camera. The dramatic bodycam footage shows Asrar Rafiq with his hands above his head after police cut through his door in an operation involving firearms officers in June 2020 at a property in Aston. Rafiq was later sentenced to more than 18 years in prison following an international operation which had cracked the EncroChat messaging service used by organised criminals. The 35-year-old had boasted about the hundreds of thousands of pounds in cash which he made through drug deals, while listing various weapons including AK-47s and Uzis which he claimed he could source for other criminals. Asrar Rafiq Described as a leading member of the notorious Bordesley Green gang, Rafiq was one of 12 people given a gang injunction in 2014. But his criminality continued, and a major investigation by the Regional Organised Crime Unit for the West Midlands (ROCUWM) established that he used 13 different phone numbers in an effort to evade detection. CCTV caught him using his phones while working out a local gym. News in 90 Seconds - May 14th He was later caught when police managed to hack into the encrypted global communication service used exclusively by criminals on mobile phones. Criminals had been using the app to message each other in what they thought was a secure chat. There were 60,000 users worldwide and around 10,000 users in the UK who used it to coordinate and plan the distribution of illicit commodities, engage in money laundering and in plotting to kill rival criminals. However, unbeknown to users, the National Crime Agency (NCA) and the police monitored their every move in the aftermath of the cracking under the nationwide Operation Venetic. According to the NCA who played a key role in analysing the intercepted data resulting in thousands of arrests, Rafiq was one of the users of the app and went by the name 'Wisehorse'. He engaged in what he thought were secret conversations with other criminals to organise the supply of massive amounts of heroin and cocaine. Rafiq had tried to claim the messages were 'just bravado and that he was trying to big himself up to other drug dealers', said DCI Peter Cooke who described the claims as 'fanciful'. 'He was clearly a significant player in the criminal underworld of firearms and drug dealing, which causes so much misery on the streets of the West Midlands and beyond,' Cooke added. 'This result shows that while Operation Venetic was launched five years ago, the fallout for those involved in serious and organised crime continues to this day.' Rafiq eventually pleaded guilty to encouraging or assisting with the sourcing, advertising and sale of prohibited weapons and ammunition, and being concerned in the supply of cocaine and heroin. Rafiq, of no fixed address, was jailed for 18 years and six months at Birmingham Crown Court last Thursday, and was sentenced on the basis that he had or supplied 28kg of heroin and cocaine during a short period of just three months. DCI Peter Cooke added: 'This result shows that while Operation Venetic was launched five years ago, the fallout for those involved in serious and organised crime continues to this day.' 'The success is part of Operation Target, our 24/7 mission to disrupt and arrest those involved in serious and organised crime in the West Midlands. 'Those involved in guns, drugs, money laundering, exploitation are all in our sights.'
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Yahoo
Drug dealer's 'sneaky' hiding place for handgun after flat raid near Birmingham city centre
A 'sneaky' drug dealer who kept cocaine and a handgun stashed in a jewellery box has been jailed, police say. Lorenc Lika, aged 41, was arrested after West Midlands Police officers raided a flat located on Bell Barn Road, in the Westside area of Birmingham, near the city centre. Officers, including those from the force's Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU), targeted the address with a warrant on February 25 after acting on information. READ MORE: M6 lorries slashed open at Midland service station Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp, click the link to join Inside, they unearthed a drug factory with a range of equipment used for the illegal production process. Cocaine was also found, including some concealed behind a panel, alongside a handgun and ammunition. West Midlands Police said that officers had found Class A drugs and a handgun hidden inside a jewellery box. Lika, also of Bell Barn Road, was arrested at the address. He later admitted possession of a firearm, ammunition and having Class A drugs with intent to supply. He was jailed for eight years and nine months at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday (April 24). A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: "A dealer has been jailed after we seized Class A drugs and a handgun which was hidden inside a jewellery box. "Officers from West Midlands Police and Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) acted on information and carried out a raid near Birmingham city centre. "We unearthed a drugs factory, with a range of equipment used for the illegal production process, inside the flat in Bell Barn Road. "We also found cocaine, which included some concealed behind a panel, along with the gun and ammunition. "Lorenc Lika was arrested from the address as we executed the warrant on 25 February this year. "The 41-year-old, of Bell Barn Road, admitted possession of a firearm, ammunition and having Class A drugs with intent to supply. "He was jailed for eight years and nine months at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday (24 April). "We're continually working to take guns and drugs off the streets, and tackle organised crime, as part of Operation Target."
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Yahoo
Fake £4m Xanax drug gang boss jailed
A gang leader who co-ordinated from Thailand a £4m fake Xanax drug-making operation in West Midlands sheds and garages has been jailed for eight years. Up to 11 million tablets were made in various locations in Tipton, Wednesbury and Wolverhampton and then sold on the dark web via cryptocurrency payments. The criminal enterprise, between 2018 and 19, was run from a luxury villa in Thailand by Brian Pitts, 30, of Beebee Road, Wednesbury, who is one of 10 being sentenced for their part in the operation. The fake tablets were shipped across the UK and to America, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard. Pitts, who had earlier pleaded guilty to six charges, including conspiracy to supply Class C drugs, was described by Judge John Butterfield as "the beating heart of this enterprise". He said the ringleader controlled every part of the drugs operation and was constantly involved in it. Pitts was arrested by police when he returned to the UK with his then-partner Katie Harlow, who was also part of the Thai-end of the criminal operation. The officers were able to seize his mobile phone, which prosecutors described as a "goldmine of information", showing his involvement at all levels of the operation. The court had heard the gang made the tablets in houses, sheds and garages in the West Midlands. It would be wrong, Judge Butterfield said, to dismiss the enterprise as "a minor cottage industry" and that it was instead "large scale, organised and determined". The gang's activities had initially come to light after an investigation was launched by Pfizer, the manufacturer of the genuine Xanax tablets, which are used to treat anxiety. The inquiry was then picked up by the Regional Organised Crime Unit, which discovered the gang had purchased legally four pill-making machines, enabling them to press more than 16,000 tablets an hour. While the gang made £4m, the number of tablets they made could have fetched them more than £11m, the court heard. The gang also purchased the powders needed to make the tablets and fake Xanax stamps. But tests revealed the amount of the active ingredient Alprazalam in the fake tablets varied from none at all to twice the proper amount. Harlow, 27, of Lane Street, Bilston was sentenced to two years and one month in jail, after she earlier admitted a charge of converting and transferring criminal property. Judge Butterfield said that while it appeared Pitts had taken some actions in her name, none of them were without her knowledge. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Gang made millions selling fake Xanax pills on dark web HM Courts & Tribunals Service
BBC News
27-03-2025
- BBC News
Fake £4m Xanax drug gang boss jailed over West Midlands op
A gang leader who co-ordinated from Thailand a £4m fake Xanax drug-making operation in West Midlands sheds and garages has been jailed for eight to 11 million tablets were made in various locations in Tipton, Wednesbury and Wolverhampton and then sold on the dark web via cryptocurrency criminal enterprise, between 2018 and 19, was run from a luxury villa in Thailand by Brian Pitts, 30, of Beebee Road, Wednesbury, who is one of 10 being sentenced for their part in the fake tablets were shipped across the UK and to America, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard. Pitts, who had earlier pleaded guilty to six charges, including conspiracy to supply Class C drugs, was described by Judge John Butterfield as "the beating heart of this enterprise".He said the ringleader controlled every part of the drugs operation and was constantly involved in it. Pitts was arrested by police when he returned to the UK with his then-partner Katie Harlow, who was also part of the Thai-end of the criminal officers were able to seize his mobile phone, which prosecutors described as a "goldmine of information", showing his involvement at all levels of the court had heard the gang made the tablets in houses, sheds and garages in the West Midlands. 'Pills could have fetched £11m' It would be wrong, Judge Butterfield said, to dismiss the enterprise as "a minor cottage industry" and that it was instead "large scale, organised and determined".The gang's activities had initially come to light after an investigation was launched by Pfizer, the manufacturer of the genuine Xanax tablets, which are used to treat anxiety. The inquiry was then picked up by the Regional Organised Crime Unit, which discovered the gang had purchased legally four pill-making machines, enabling them to press more than 16,000 tablets an the gang made £4m, the number of tablets they made could have fetched them more than £11m, the court gang also purchased the powders needed to make the tablets and fake Xanax tests revealed the amount of the active ingredient Alprazalam in the fake tablets varied from none at all to twice the proper 27, of Lane Street, Bilston was sentenced to two years and one month in jail, after she earlier admitted a charge of converting and transferring criminal Butterfield said that while it appeared Pitts had taken some actions in her name, none of them were without her knowledge. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Yahoo
Police seize £1m worth of cannabis in raids
Drugs with an estimated street value of more than £1m have been seized in raids across the region, police have said. More than 2,500 cannabis plants, along with weapons including machetes, were seized in Hull, Scunthorpe and Grimsby between 17 and 23 February, Humberside Police said. The raids were part of a nationwide operation to tackle cannabis farms operated by organised crime groups. Nine of 10 people arrested have since been charged with a range of offences, including the cultivation of cannabis and abstracting electricity without authority, police said. Det Ch Insp Chris Swaby, leading the investigation, said tackling drug crime was a priority. "The community impact this type of offending has is the reason we will continue to do everything we can to disrupt these criminal networks... and safeguard vulnerable members of the community targeted by these gangs." Police raided 14 properties, including in Ellerburn Avenue and Beverley Road, Hull, Haven Avenue in Grimsby and Fox Street in Scunthorpe. The drugs seized were estimated to be valued at £1,342,500, officers said. The operation was coordinated by the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit, which covers the Humberside Police area, as well as West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. Det Supt Fiona Gaffney, the unit's deputy head, said officers had conducted a total of 58 warrants throughout the region, adding raids had "significantly disrupted" the distribution of cannabis. She said: "Commercial cannabis production is heavily connected to wider criminality. These people routinely use serious violence and the threat of it to protect their trade." Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Humberside Police Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit
