Illegal cigarettes worth thousands and vehicles linked to criminal gangs have been seized, following police raids across Southampton and Bedford. Specialist officers from the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU), in collaboration with Hampshire Constabulary and Bedfordshire Police, assisted in a dedicated operation aimed at tackling the sale of illegal cigarettes and tobacco....
Following a South East Regional Organised Crime Unit investigation, a man has been charged with immigration offences. Mustafa Mustafa, aged 31, of Wendover Road, Bedford was charged with conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration on 28 November in connection with the arrangement and movement of non-EU migrants from Belgium. Mustafa appeared at Luton Magistrates Court...
A website which sold a hacking tool purchased by cyber criminals in 124 countries and gave full remote control of victims’ computers has been taken down following an international investigation. 14,500 people across the world purchased the Imminent Monitor Remote Access Trojan (IM RAT) from https://imminentmethods.net for as little as US$25. Once covertly installed...
Size matters… especially when it comes to passwords! That’s the message from specialist cyber crime officers from the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU). Many people will already be thinking ahead to Black Friday and Cyber Monday in order to get the best online bargains before Christmas. But shoppers need to beware of...
Two men who defaulted on their respective court-ordered repayments have had their jail sentences extended, following work by the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU). Michael Terry, 63, from East Sussex, and John Green, 53, from Berkshire, both had their original prison sentences extended after failing to pay confiscation orders they had been...
A man has been sentenced to prison for child sexual offences following an investigation by the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU). Gareth Richards, aged 30, from St Michaels Road, Reading, was sentenced to a total of four years’ imprisonment at Winchester Crown Court on Friday (18/10). He pleaded guilty at the same...
Specialist police officers from the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU) and Hampshire Police arrested three men yesterday (1/10) in a dedicated operation aimed at tackling drug dealing in Southampton. Following a series of warrants simultaneously executed across the city, officers targeted a number of addresses in Tatwin Crescent; Nettlestone in Netley Abbey;...
A jailed man from Warwickshire is the latest member of a criminal gang to be ordered to repay money he made from a multi-million pound fraud, after using it to live a lavish lifestyle. Following a hearing at Southwark Crown Court yesterday (16/9), Michael Bancroft, aged 73, of Ilmington, Shipston-on-Stour, was ordered to repay...
A man and woman have been forced to repay more than £10 million, after being convicted in 2017 for their roles in a multi-million pound fraud. David Mills, 62, and his wife Alison Mills, 54, were convicted alongside four others in 2017 for their roles in fraudulent trading, corrupting banking officials and money laundering....
Three men were arrested last week following a multi-agency operation by SEROCU, Her Majesty’s Prisons and Probation Service (HMPPS) and Surrey Police. The operation, which took place at HMP Coldingley in Bisley, was co-ordinated by SEROCU’s Regional Disruption team in support of the HMPPS crime reduction initiative, which is aimed at maximising the opportunities...