National Crime Agency (NCA)

A prolific people smuggler has been jailed for nearly ten years for arranging Channel crossings to the UK in small boats. NCA investigators believe Albanian national Eglantin Doksani, 24, may have been responsible for transporting hundreds of people across the Channel during 2022. Investigators identified him as an associate of Hewa Rahimpur, one of the leaders of a gang involved in moving around 10,000 people to the UK. Iranian national Rahimpur was arrested by the NCA in east London in 2022 and extradited to Belgium to face trial. He was jailed for 11 years last October. Doksani acted as an agent for migrants, brokering spaces on boats operated by Rahimpur's network and others. Whatsapp conversations found on Rahimpur's phone evidenced discussions around people Doksani wanted moving to the UK. He was saved in Rahimpur's handset as Nodnol – London backwards. He was charged with facilitating illegal immigration, fraud, money laundering and drug supply offences and pleaded guilty to seven offences. Today, he was jailed for nine years and nine months by a judge at St Albans Crown Court. He faces deportation after serving his sentence. Tackling organised immigration crime is a priority for the NCA, and we are determined to do all we can to disrupt and dismantle the criminal gangs exploiting people for profit. FULL STORY ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eBx_4PDz

Warning: this story contains details of child sexual abuse A man who sexually abused a vulnerable young girl, aided by his girlfriend at the time, has faced justice 16 years later as a result of a NCA investigation. Neil King of Rotherham was today found guilty of 17 sexual offences against a girl and her best friend. Officers from the NCA’s Operation Stovewood found that King began abusing the first victim when she was placed under the care of his girlfriend, Louise Tye, in 2008. Soon after the girl moved in with Tye and King, she was forced to participate in sex with the couple. King paid Tye money for her assistance in the abuse, and Tye continued to enable him to have sex with the girl when she and the victim moved to a new address. The victims’ account, in conjunction with supporting evidence gathered by officers, ultimately led to King and Tye being arrested in 2021. Both were charged with sexual offences in July 2023 but Tye died later that year, so King stood trial alone. He will be sentenced in September. Non-recent child sexual abuse can be reported to police by calling 101, or in person at a police station. Reports of non-recent abuse are handled by officers who are specially trained in supporting victims and dealing with such sensitive cases. Read the full story ➡️ https://lnkd.in/exewqkvw

The NCA has led a huge increase in the number of takedowns of social media posts, pages and accounts advertising the services of people smugglers, thanks to a partnership with four major social media companies. By the end of June 2024 almost 12,000 had been removed, disrupting the organised criminal networks who use social media to advertise their services and recruit migrants. The NCA launched its social media action plan with Meta, X (formerly known as Twitter), TikTok and YouTube in December 2021, to help build understanding of how organised criminals used their platforms to advertise illegal services and limit the gangs ability to exploit victims and plan dangerous illegal crossings. By April 2023 this had resulted in around 3,300 posts, pages or accounts being removed or suspended. In the last year the NCA has worked more closely with platforms to increase intelligence flows and target the gangs involved, resulting in almost 9,000 more being removed a major increase on previous years. Officers continue to work with partners to identify accounts that promote criminality, and take action against those using them. Social media is key to how these organised crime groups operate, so these takedowns have a direct effect on disrupting their operations and criminal activity. Tackling people smuggling is a priority for the NCA, and we are looking to disrupt the criminal's business models in any way we can. This work is one example of that in action. FULL STORY ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dHq6vMsw

A Spanish man who attempted to smuggle almost 160 kilos of cannabis into the UK via Manchester Airport has been jailed for more than three years. Fernando Jacobo Mayans Fuster, from Zaragoza in Spain, arrived in May this year, having flown from Los Angeles in the US, via London Heathrow. He was arrested after Border Force officers located 278 packages in eight separate bags. Three of the bags had been checked-in in the names of his three children, aged 11 to 15, who were travelling with him. Mayans Fuster was arrested by officers from the National Crime Agency and confirmed he had been in the USA for 10 days, that he lived in Spain and a friend had given him the suitcases, adding: “I’m in a lot of trouble”. In total, just under 160 kilos of cannabis was recovered, with an estimated street value of £4.8 million if sold in the UK. Mayans Fuster was charged with importing class B drugs and pleaded guilty at Stockport Magistrates Court. He was sentenced to 40 months imprisonment at Manchester Minshull St Crown Court on Friday. This was a significant amount of cannabis, one of the largest seizures of its kind at Manchester Airport. NCA officers work alongside our partners at Border Force to prevent drug smuggling and dismantle the criminal networks behind it. FULL STORY ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ef6ZzqQa

❗️Closing date extended❗️ The closing date for the Regulator role within the Proceeds of Crime Centre has now been extended until 11:55pm on Sunday 4 August. Apply here 👉 https://bit.ly/4cRbizh An additional virtual open evening will be held on Thursday 25 July. Sign up to attend here 👉 https://bit.ly/3Y8hiQh

The National Crime Agency has infiltrated a significant DDoS-for-hire service which has been responsible for tens of thousands of attacks every week across the globe. The disruption targeting digitalstress.su, a criminal marketplace offering DDoS capabilities, was made in partnership with Police Service of Northern Ireland. It comes after the PSNI arrested one of the site’s suspected controllers earlier this month. The NCA took over the site and disabled its functionality, replacing the domain with a splash page, warning users that their data has been collected by law enforcement. This was achieved by creating a mirror site that users were directed to. The NCA also covertly and overtly accessed communication platforms being used to discuss launching DDoS attacks, telling and showing the users of these platforms that nowhere is safe for cyber criminals to talk about their criminal activity. Booter services are an entry-level cyber crime, allowing individuals with little technical ability to commit cyber offences with ease. Anyone using these services while our mirror site was in place has now made themselves known to law enforcement agencies around the world. Read the full story ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ew5QBXKk

WANTED: Could you help us find Adrian Voica? The 28-year-old was convicted in Romania of human trafficking offences and was sentenced to four years and three months in prison. He left Romania and is thought to be in the UK. Voica is approx. 5ft 6in tall and has an athletic build. He has links to the Warwickshire/ Rugby area but could be anywhere in England and Wales. Assisting an offender is a crime and we will seek to prosecute anyone doing this. If you have any information, contact Crimestoppers Trust anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Ten British nationals have been arrested as part of multi-agency investigation into drug trafficking from South America to Europe. The joint operation was launched in 2020 and has been conducted by the Spanish Policía Nacional, National Crime Agency, Norway’s National Criminal Investigation Service, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the European MAOC, with the support of EUROPOL. Worldwide law enforcement agencies have arrested 52 people in total – 28 in Spain – and seized 1.5 tonnes of cocaine, eight boats and 36 vehicles, as well as firearms and ammunition. The criminal network owned a fleet of vessels which were used to transport the drugs from South America to Europe via Spain. The long-running investigation identified routes used by the OCG to bring vast quantities of drugs to Spain for onward distribution, including into the UK. The NCA’s international network has played a leading role in sharing intelligence with overseas partners to intercept huge shipments of drugs and trace key members of the criminal enterprise. Tackling global crime groups such as this one requires strong collaboration with international partners, and our efforts alongside them continue to ensure these networks are demolished. FULL STORY ➡️ https://lnkd.in/evZwfkfY

Could you help us find Patryk Deja? Deja is wanted in Poland for attempted murder. In May 2017, he is alleged to have stabbed a victim in the back, causing life-threatening wounds to the lungs and spine. The 26-year-old is believed to be living in the UK, with links to Birmingham and the south coast of England, but his current whereabouts are unknown. Deja is a trained sushi chef and is believed to have worked in restaurants and as a delivery driver. Assisting an offender is a crime and we will seek to prosecute anyone doing this. If you have any information, contact Crimestoppers Trust anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Operation Spincaster demonstrates the NCA’s commitment to collaborating with tech partners in the private sector to tackle fraud.   This work has protected victims here in the UK, and provided opportunities for us to pursue organised crime groups causing significant harm.