Latest news with #criminalgang
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Police make 10 arrests over phone shop robberies
Ten people have been arrested as part of a police investigation into a string of robberies at phone shops. Detectives have been trying to identify an organised crime gang believed to be behind 13 robberies in London and across the south and east of England. Eight men, aged between 20 and 31, and two 17-year-old boys were arrested at addresses in London and later charged with conspiracy to commit robbery and remanded in custody, the said. Staff at the shops were said to have been threatened by individuals who "often had their faces covered and were sometimes armed with weapons", police added. The robberies happened between February and early June and were part of a "concerted effort to steal phones and sell them overseas", detectives said. Thousands of pounds worth of new phones were taken from secure rooms at stores in what police described as "similar incidents". Police said the robberies were reported at shops in Staines, Ilford, Hackney, Huntingdon, Orpington, East Grinstead, Alton, Clacton-on-Sea, Horsham, St Alban's, Ipswich, Stamford and Eastleigh. Read more from Sky News: Detective Chief Inspector Laura Hillier said: "Phone robbery has boomed globally, and London is not immune. "There is a concerted effort by criminal gangs to steal phones and sell them overseas as part of a multi-million-pound industry. "The Met is catching more of these criminals and operations such as this are vital to disrupting offenders who cause fear and misery to shop workers and communities."
The National
19-06-2025
- The National
Children forced to skipper boats smuggling migrants from Morocco to Spain
A criminal gang has been forcing children to skipper boats smuggling migrants from Morocco to Spain, police have revealed. The 'highly organised network' made about €2.8 million ($3.2 million) in profit from charging more than 200 people €14,000 each to make the journey. Spain's National Police have now arrested eight members of the criminal gang, which is made up Spanish and Moroccan citizens, after raids on properties in Algeciras and Ibiza, as well as Ceuta, an enclave of Spain in Morocco. 'The network used minors as skippers in maritime smuggling operations, often recruited and trained by the organisation itself,' said Europol, the EU's law enforcement agency. 'This fact not only highlights and amplifies the risk of accidents and fatalities, but also exposes vulnerable youngsters to exploitation and coercion. This practice illustrates the ruthless and dehumanising nature of criminal networks, which prioritise profits over human life.' Along with migrants, the gang also simultaneously trafficked large amounts of cannabis resin to Spain, using the same vessels. On the way back to Morocco, the gang smuggled the drug Clonazepam to maximise their profits. Police found 10,800 tablets of the medication that is also taken by recreational drug users for its hallucinogenic effect. Authorities also seized 22kg of cannabis, €50,000 in cash, five vehicles, two boats, weapons, electronic devices and navigation equipment. Europol say the Spanish branch of the network operated from Ceuta and Algeciras, while the head of the Moroccan branch lived in Ibiza. They used a three-tiered structure comprising of leadership and co-ordination, maritime execution, and ground-level logistics. Smuggling migrants across the Mediterranean is a lucrative business for criminals and last year Spanish police smashed a trafficking ring that took about 1,000 people from Syria and Algeria into Europe by boat. Migrants from Syria were illegally transported through Lebanon and North Africa to the coast of Algeria for about €20,000 a person, it is alleged. From Algeria, they were sent across the Mediterranean in overcrowded boats and taken to unsanitary safe houses in Spain, police said. A total of 21 people were arrested in police raids in which four hotels were searched, three vehicles impounded and thousands of euros, US dollars and Algerian dinars seized. Other criminals also opened up a new route to take migrants from Morocco and Algeria into EU in which they first flew to the UK on tourist visas and were then smuggled in lorries to France. In total, 12 members of the Algerian-led gang have now been convicted for their part in the operation, in which each migrant was charged up to £1,200 ($1,600) for the trip. Video taken by a migrant from inside a lorry shows it filled with 39 Algerian and Moroccans, including a six-year-old boy. Those inside can be heard banging on the sides of the trailer, screaming and crying for assistance, with of shouting "open the door, open the door".
Sky News
13-06-2025
- Sky News
Two men jailed for their roles in theft of £4.75m gold toilet from Blenheim Palace
Two men have been jailed for their roles in the theft of a £4.75m gold toilet from Blenheim Palace. James Sheen, 40, and Michael Jones, 39, were part of the gang who planned and carried out the burglary of the Oxfordshire stately home. Sheen, 40, a roofer who pleaded guilty to burglary, conspiracy and transferring criminal property, was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court to four years in prison. Michael Jones, 39, who worked for Sheen and was convicted of burglary at trial, was sentenced to two years and three months. The fully functioning 18-carat gold artwork, titled America, was stolen from Blenheim Palace in September 2019. The heist took place hours after a glamorous launch party, and the distinctive toilet was split up or melted down and sold on soon after it was stolen and has never been recovered. Please refresh the page for the latest version.
LBCI
07-06-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Israel admits to supporting anti-Hamas armed group in Gaza
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that Israel is supporting an armed group in Gaza that opposes the militant group Hamas, following comments by a former minister that Israel had transferred weapons to it. Israeli and Palestinian media have reported that the group Israel has been working with is part of a local Bedouin tribe led by Yasser Abu Shabab. The European Council on Foreign Relations (EFCR) think tank describes Abu Shabab as the leader of a 'criminal gang operating in the Rafah area that is widely accused of looting aid trucks.' AFP
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Fifth suspect arrested after man killed in downtown Huntington Beach
A fifth suspect was arrested after a man was killed outside a downtown Huntington Beach restaurant. On Thursday, police announced Magdaleno Barragan, 26, of Huntington Beach, was arrested in connection with the murder of Rozzalle Hellens, 29, of Anaheim. On September 15, 2024, Huntington Beach police responded to reports of an injured person near the Longboard Restaurant & Bar on Main Street around 2 a.m. Police found Hellens suffering from significant injuries. He was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. The attackers had fled the scene. Police began investigating and later identified four Huntington Beach residents as suspects in Hellens' murder: Jesus Torres-Martinez, 22 Roberto Lopez, 25 Michael Cardoso, 29 Arnaldo Malaca, 33 On May 14, Malaca was arrested for murder, carrying a concealed firearm, conspiracy (to commit murder), criminal street gang activity and carrying a concealed firearm in public. The other three men were also arrested for murder, conspiracy, criminal street gang activity, and accessory to murder. A fifth suspect, Barragan, remained at large. On May 28, officers located him in Bakersfield. Barragan was transported to the Huntington Beach Jail where he was booked for murder, conspiracy, criminal street gang activity and accessory. Details surrounding the homicide, including a motive and whether Hellens was previously known to the suspects, were not released by authorities. Police did not provide information on the type of injuries the victim sustained. Barragan, along with the other four suspects, are being held on $1 million bail. An arraignment hearing for Barragan is scheduled on May 30. The investigation remains ongoing, and no additional details will be released at this time. Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Major Crimes Unit Detective Sergeant Anthony Pham at 714-878-5640. Anonymous tips can be provided to OC Crime Stoppers at 1-855-847-6227 or online at Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
