

Smuggler organised for £16,000 of opium to be shipped into the UK inside steel cogs."They thought that committing offences across the whole of the North East would make it more difficult for us to catch them but they clearly underestimated us. "Ultimately we have been able to catch up with the gang because their greed got the best of them and they did not know when to stop. Pigs living in slurry and debris in fields: Horrific conditions County Durham man kept animals inĭetective Constables Gillian Coulson and Gareth Welsh led the investigation along with officers from Durham, and they described the offending as "prolific."ĭC Coulson said: "This operation was focused on targeting a prolific criminal gang who made off with tens of thousands of pounds from gaming machines.Ten men were arrested and later charged with conspiracy to commit theft. They worked with both Northumbria Police and Durham Constabulary to identify those involved. The profits from the crimes were estimated to be more than £40,000.ĭetectives from the North East Regional Special Operations Unit (NERSOU) launched an investigation after linking the offences.

In total they committed over 100 offences which were committed over a 40-month period between March 2016 and July 2019.

They would then use a skeleton key to open it and take the money as a getaway driver waited outside.
