Latest news with #ROCU
Daily Mirror
04-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mirror
Brit wanted for 'drug trafficking' arrested abroad after five year manhunt
Francis Coggins, 60, of Huyton, Liverpool, had been at the centre of a five year manhunt when he was held outside a residential property in the coastal town of Zandvoort on Tuesday A British fugitive wanted for international drug trafficking has been arrested in Holland ending a five-year manhunt. Francis Coggins, 60, was held outside a residential property in the coastal town of Zandvoort on Tuesday by officers from the Dutch National Police. He was taken into custody after ongoing work between the National Crime Agency, the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) and the Dutch National Police. It is understood that he has been wanted for the last five years. Coggins, of Huyton, Liverpool, was wanted by the North West ROCU on a TACA warrant (Trade and Cooperation Agreement) for allegedly smuggling heroin and cocaine. He appeared at court in Amsterdam on Wednesday to begin the process of extradition to the UK and he was remanded to appear again on a date to be confirmed. Gill Duggan, head of Europe at the NCA said: 'The agency has been working extensively with the ROCU and our international partners to trace Coggins and return him to the UK. "It does not matter where fugitives go. The agency's reach and strong relationships with international partners mean we will always tenaciously pursue those wanted by law enforcement.' Detective Superintendent Zoe Russo from the North West ROCU said: 'This arrest demonstrates our commitment to ensuring that individuals wanted for serious offences, whether in the UK or abroad, are brought to justice. We work closely with international law enforcement partners to track down and apprehend fugitives, no matter where they try to hide. The message is clear: if you are wanted, we will find you.'
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Kyle Enos: Man who made and sold poisonous diet pills is jailed
A man who made and sold poisonous diet pills has been jailed. DNP is poisonous to humans and has been banned for human consumption in the UK. The industrial chemical, which is officially known as 2,4-Dinitrophenol, has been illegally sold as a pill for weight loss, according to police. Kyle Enos, 33, from Maesteg, Bridgend, was jailed for three years on Thursday after a multi-agency investigation. DNP can cause serious physical side effects or death, according to the Food Standards Agency. Enos was found to have purchased the pure form sodium salt of the powder from China via the dark web. He made the pills using cutting agents and a pill press in his bedroom and advertised them on a website he had made. After receiving orders via email, he would ship the products within the UK and beyond, disguising them as vitamins and minerals. Following the investigation, he was charged with multiple drug offences and pleaded guilty at Cardiff Magistrates' Court on 1 May. 'Extremely ill or even dying' He was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court for one count of member of public import/acquire/possess/use of a regulated substance without licence, one count of supply regulated substance to member of public without verifying licence and one count of supply of regulated poison by person other than a pharmacist. He was also found to have failed to comply with a serious crime prevention order (SCPO) after a previous conviction for the supply of the Class A drug Fentanyl. Detective Constable Kieran Morris, of South Wales Police's regional organised crime unit (ROCU) Tarian, said Enos was supplying the pills "with no safety precautions in place", which could have led to buyers "becoming extremely ill or even dying". "Tarian ROCU are committed to safeguarding members of the public not only within our region, but across the United Kingdom and beyond," he added. Read more from Sky News: Alison Abbott, head of the National Crime Agency's prisons and lifetime management unit, said SCPOs were "a powerful tool" to help prevent those convicted of "serious offences" from reoffending after their release from prison. "This case should serve as a warning to others," she added. "As we did with Enos, we will actively monitor all those who are subject to such orders, and they will stay on our radar even after they are released from jail."
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."
The Independent
27-02-2025
- The Independent
Drug gang used flights from France to drop £4m worth of cocaine in English countryside
Members of a gang involved in airdropping millions of pounds worth of cocaine into the British countryside are facing prison over the importation of illegal drugs. Cocaine worth an estimated £4.2m was later discovered at a car wash in Hertfordshire and a house in Loughton, Essex. An investigation led by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) found the gang liaised with contacts abroad to bring in the drugs, with flights leaving from the Cherbourg area of northern France. The planes would intentionally avoid radar systems and disable transponders that alert other pilots of their whereabouts, police said. Four members of the group have now been convicted, after Loughton man Tomas Bauza, 44, on Tuesday at St Albans Crown Court was found guilty following a trial. Detective Inspector Daniel Barker, from ERSOU's ROCU, said: 'It's clear that this group had put significant thought and planning into how they could best bring class A drugs into the UK, and they went to great lengths in attempting to hide their illicit activities. 'However, the tenacity of ERSOU's investigators let to our teams uncovering vast amounts of evidence implicating each member of the OCG, and we were able to stop a significant amount of cocaine entering our communities.' Police were made aware of at least three flights to southern England before immediately returning to France. Each time, either Rolandas Bauza, 47, from the same address in Loughton, or associate Martynas Piecia, 37, of Thaxted, drove to the same location to wait to collect the parcels. Bishop's Stortford man Arjan Lisaj, 33, who worked at the car wash, was arrested in September 2024 alongside Bauza and Piecia a short distance from the business in Spellbrook, Hertfordshire. The three men pleaded guilty to being involved in the importation and supply of controlled drugs into the UK. Officers found two blocks of cocaine in the car wash office, while Rolandas was found to be carrying £37,000 in cash. Tomas was arrested at a raid of the Bauza brothers' home, where police also uncovered 54g of cocaine in the loft, and evidence the property had been used as a cannabis factory. Detective Inspector Barker said police worked closely with other UK police forces and agencies abroad 'to ensure that those involved in serious criminality such as this are apprehended and brought to justice.' All four men are due to be sentenced at St Albans Crown Court on Monday, 4 August.
