How special operations unit has helped lock up string of Eastern region’s worst criminals
Some of East Anglia’s worst criminals were among those jailed for nearly 350 years in total this year following investigations by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU).
The unit manages the threat of serious organised crime and terrorism in the region and led operations that jailed 49 offenders for 346 years over the past 12 months.
The criminals locked up included those importing heroin and cocaine from abroad, fraudsters looking to target peoples’ money and a man who turned up at court dressed in Nazi clothing.
In addition, more than 40kg of cocaine with a potential street value of more than £2.4m was confiscated by officers, along with 15.5kg of heroin with a potential street value of £930,000. Other items seized included £582,000 in cash, six firearms and 14 other weapons such as samurai swords, crossbows and knives. During 2022:
- The final members of a drugs network that distributed class A drugs across the country were jailed, taking the total to more than 129 years;
- A drug dealer who hid £500,000 of cocaine in a secret compartment in his van was jailed after being stopped on the M11 near Duxford;
- A St Neots man who distributed anti-Semitic leaflets before turning up at court dressed in Nazi clothing was jailed for eight years.
- Nine fraudsters were jailed for a scam selling fake rugby tickets worth £1.8m.
- A career conman who regularly changed his name by deed poll to con companies out of hundreds of thousands of pounds was jailed for nine years.
- A garage owner who helped a gang burgle more than 200 homes was ordered to repay more than £1million of his illicit gains.
ERSOU’s officers and staff use a range of specialist tactics and work closely alongside police forces and partner agencies to disrupt dangerous offenders operating across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Kent.
Throughout 2022, almost £5.5m was confiscated from offenders in eastern England, with those who failed to pay facing extended jail sentences.
The money is often taken back from drug dealers and is calculated by the amount they are thought to have earned through illegal means. Investigators were also able to return more than £2.5m to victims of crime.
Det Supt Josie Hayes, head of ERSOU’s regional organised crime unit, said: “Our teams are relentless in their pursuit of the criminals behind some of the most destructive organised crime groups in our region, and I have no doubt our investigators have had a significant impact in removing some very dangerous people from our communities.”
