Latest news with #YorkshireandHumberRegionalOrganisedCrimeUnit
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Yahoo
Men jailed for prison drone drug drops
Two men have been jailed for attempting to smuggle packages containing illegal goods such as phones and drugs into prisons using drones. Simon Woodall and Josh Morris, both 32 and from Brierley Hill in Dudley, pleaded guilty in November to using unmanned aerial vehicles to fly the packages into prisons in England. Woodall was jailed for 30 months at Peterborough Crown Court on Monday. Morris, who also admitted dangerous driving and driving while disqualified, was jailed for 42 months. Police said that between August 2023 and February 2024, Woodall and Morris attempted to smuggle Class A and B drugs, prescription medications, smartphones, memory cards, data dongles and tobacco into prisons in County Durham, Leicestershire, Cambridgeshire, Greater Manchester, Wiltshire, Lancashire and Yorkshire and the Humber. They transported the goods using drones, alongside flight mapping and control software. Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit (YHROCU) opened an investigation after Morris was arrested near HMP Frankland in County Durham. Police said the investigation involved partners from across the UK and His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service. Det Insp Ollie Scoones said it was "a complex investigation". "The sentencing sends a clear message to those involved in serious organised crime that the YHROCU will continue to dismantle their operations, pursue prosecutions and prevent them from benefitting from the proceeds of criminal activity to protect communities from the harm they cause." Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Police capture drones near high-security prison Prison drone drops 'threat to national security' West Yorkshire Police HM Courts and Tribunals Service
BBC News
07-03-2025
- BBC News
£8.7m worth of cannabis plants seized in Yorkshire and The Humber
Thousands of cannabis plants worth more than £8.7m have been seized in a week-long operation across Yorkshire and the region's four police forces located 35 active cannabis grows containing 8,716 action was part of national scheme Operation Mille and was coordinated by the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit (YHROCU).It said officers executed 58 warrants and seized cocaine, five machetes, gas canisters and an axe along with the cannabis plants and 29 people were arrested. Det Supt Fiona Gaffney, who led the operation, said: "By focusing on this source of income for organised crime groups, we have significantly disrupted their activities and the wider distribution of cannabis within our communities."These people routinely use serious violence and the threat of it to protect their trade [and] exploit young and vulnerable people for their own profit." In West Yorkshire, the operation saw more than £1.6m worth of plants seized along with a BMW and £3,000 in cash from an address in Leeds."Organised crime groups are often connected to violence, exploitation, and anti-social behaviour which causes untold misery in our communities," said Det Supt Steve added that buildings used as cannabis grows can become dangerous due to fire risks, theft of electricity and water damage."Sharing information with the police at an early stage allows us to work closely together to tackle cannabis farms before they cause serious damage."We are committed to dismantling these operations and protecting our communities from the harm they cause." Listen to highlights from Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Yahoo
Man who stole cash from hundreds of ATMs jailed
A man who stole money from hundreds of cash machines across England has been jailed for more than two years. Andrei Matei stole more than £19,000 by using a tool to jam cash dispensers open, West Yorkshire Police said, allowing him to take money from inside. The 35-year-old Romanian national, of Failsworth, Greater Manchester, stole from more than 480 cash machines in locations including West Yorkshire, London, Wiltshire, Nottinghamshire and Berkshire, causing damage valued at £30,000. Appearing before Leeds Crown Court on Wednesday, Matei was sentenced to 27 months in prison after admitting 483 charges of theft and criminal damage. He will also be deported once he has been released, the force said. The investigation started in West Yorkshire, but officers from the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit later established Matei and an accomplice were also targeting cash machines further afield. Matei, of Oldham Road, was arrested in Nottinghamshire in September 2023, police said. During 2023, he targeted machines at supermarkets, garages and on shopping streets in Huddersfield, Bradford, Nottingham, Newbury, Salisbury, Bath, Bristol, Devizes, London and Stopsley. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. West Yorkshire Police
BBC News
27-02-2025
- BBC News
Man who stole money from cash machines across England jailed
A man who stole money from hundreds of cash machines across England has been jailed for more than two years. Andrei Matei stole more than £19,000 by using a tool to jam cash dispensers open, West Yorkshire Police said, allowing him to take money from inside. The 35-year-old Romanian national, of Failsworth, Greater Manchester, stole from more than 480 cash machines in locations including West Yorkshire, London, Wiltshire, Nottinghamshire and Berkshire, causing damage valued at £30, before Leeds Crown Court on Wednesday, Matei was sentenced to 27 months in prison after admitting 483 charges of theft and criminal damage. He will also be deported once he has been released, the force investigation started in West Yorkshire, but officers from the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit later established Matei and an accomplice were also targeting cash machines further afield. Matei, of Oldham Road, was arrested in Nottinghamshire in September 2023, police 2023, he targeted machines at supermarkets, garages and on shopping streets in Huddersfield, Bradford, Nottingham, Newbury, Salisbury, Bath, Bristol, Devizes, London and to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
