National Crime Agency (NCA)’s Post

Today, the NCA can reveal that they have shut down a platform used by hundreds of criminals to defraud victims across the world. Russian Coms is thought to be behind financial losses in the tens of millions. An estimated 170,000 people across the UK are believed to be victims. Between 2021 and 2024, over 1.3 million calls were made by Russian Coms users to 500,000 unique UK phone numbers. Of those who reported to Action Fraud, the average loss is over £9,400. Three individuals have been arrested by the NCA, two of whom are believed to have been involved in the creation and development of the platform. Law enforcement partners in the UK and overseas, supported by Europol, will take joint action against users over the coming months. An example of a typical scam involved offenders spoofing the number of a bank to gain the trust of a victim, before convincing them that their account had been subject to fraudulent activity. They would then be persuaded to transfer their money to another account in order to safeguard their savings. Victims of all ages suffered losses, and calls were made to individuals in 107 different countries around the world, including the USA, New Zealand, Norway, France and the Bahamas. Criminals are increasingly using technology to carry out fraud and other crimes on an industrial scale, causing very real harm to victims in the UK and across the world. The NCA and our partners here in the UK and overseas are going after both the criminals and the technology they exploit. Whilst this use of technology, which can be called ‘crime as a service’, promises anonymity, unbeknown to the criminal users, the services also store the users’ data, so we can identify who they are and how they operate. FULL STORY https://lnkd.in/em-34i99

Two Merseyside drugs bosses are behind bars after a National Crime Agency investigation. Terence Culshaw, from Liverpool, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court to 15 years and two months after admitting five counts of conspiring to supply drugs including 16kgs of heroin and 2kgs of cocaine. He also planned to supply another 4kgs of heroin but the deal fell through. Culshaw used the encrypted communications platform EncroChat to organise his drug deals and he operated under the handle ‘Topgolfer’. He often worked with Frederick Connolly, also from Liverpool. Connolly operated under the handle ‘Madeirablue’. Connolly conspired to supply cocaine, heroin, cannabis and ketamine predominantly in the Merseyside area. In December last year, Connolly was jailed for 12 years after admitting conspiring to supply at least 5kg of cocaine, at least 1kg of heroin, 1kg of ketamine and 3kg of cannabis. He also pleaded guilty to laundering at least £100,000 in cash. The EncroChat platform was taken down in 2020 and Operation Venetic, the UK law enforcement response led by the NCA was then launched. At home and abroad, the NCA will continue to pursue criminals who supply Class A and B drugs and bring huge harm to our communities. FULL STORY ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dMq9QMUW

A former Dublin airport police officer who laundered millions of pounds for organised crime groups by smuggling cash out of the country on flights has been extradited to Northern Ireland to serve his prison sentence. Mark Adams from Malahide, was convicted following an NCA investigation in 2018 after being stopped by Border Force officers as he was about to board a flight to Alicante from Belfast International Airport. He was discovered to be travelling with more than 180,000 euros which had been disguised in folders. Adams was released on bail but failed to return. He was later arrested by Irish authorities and sentenced to five years in prison in Ireland for money laundering. Today, following the end of his sentence in Ireland, Adams was extradited to Northern Ireland to begin his sentence in relation to the Belfast airport incident. The NCA works internationally to protect the public from serious and organised crime and we will continue to work with all of our partners to ensure criminals are brought to justice. Read the full story ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dP6hZfqn

The ringleader of an organised crime group which attempted to smuggle 139 kilos of cocaine into the UK hidden in a consignment of bananas has been convicted. Sajid Ali, 56, from Birmingham, was arrested by NCA officers at Heathrow Airport in January this year, minutes before boarding a flight to Istanbul, Turkey, where he was living at the time. His criminal associates had previously been apprehended while unloading a shipping container they believed contained the £11m pounds-worth of drugs at a storage company in Coventry in 2022, and are now serving a total of 62 years in prison. Ali deliberately distanced himself from the operation, choosing instead to instruct the group via WhatsApp voice and text messages to his lieutenants. The container had arrived at London Gateway port from Ecuador a few days before. Here, unbeknownst to the gang, Border Force officers who were working with the NCA found the cocaine packages in the roof area, removed them and resealed the container. Ali was convicted by a jury at Coventry Crown court yesterday, following a three-week trial. He is due to be sentenced on 16 October. Removing this consignment from circulation will have been a sizeable blow to this criminal network, preventing them from generating profits that would have been invested in further criminality. We are determined to dismantle major international crime groups like this one from top to bottom. FULL STORY ➡️ https://lnkd.in/egmQQ9Qf

NCA officers have arrested a man in connection with a Channel crossing which led to the death of a woman in France on Sunday. The French authorities were alerted to a boat in trouble in the Channel in the early hours and attended. A woman was recovered and airlifted to hospital but later died. The boat continued on its journey to the UK, and arrived into Dover carrying around 40 people. Last night, a 29-year-old Egyptian national was arrested by NCA investigators in Kent. The NCA continues to work with French authorities to ascertain the circumstances which led to the fatality. This tragedy demonstrates how dangerous these crossings are, and our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of the individual who died. Working with partners we remain determined to do all we can to target, disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks involved in organised immigration crime, and prevent them from exploiting the desperation of others. FULL STORY ➡️ https://lnkd.in/etS-gMqG

Warning: this story contains details of child sexual abuse A child sex offender caught by the NCA and international police after five years on the run potentially faces a prison sentence, after being found guilty of indecently assaulting a girl in 2003. Officers from Operation Stovewood – the NCA’s investigation into historic allegations of sexual abuse in Rotherham – charged Shahid Hussain July 2018 after investigating an allegation that he assaulted a child. The victim told investigators how Hussain began spending time with her when she was 14. One evening Hussain led the girl to a dark area where he made sexual demands of her. She refused but Hussain pushed her to the ground and indecently assaulted her. He was charged and bailed to appear at Sheffield Magistrates' Court in 2018 but absconded before he could appear. After five years on the run, he was caught by Bulgarian police officers in 2023. Hussain carried out a vile attack on a vulnerable young girl and when he knew he was going to be held to account, he took the coward’s route by going on the run. We have always been determined to put Hussain before the courts. Finally, 21 years after carrying out his crime, he has faced justice. It’s never too late to report child sexual abuse. 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/ee-42VS8

NCA recovers £780,000 in the first UK forfeiture of sanctioned funds. For the first time in the UK, the National Crime Agency has secured the forfeiture of sanctioned funds under the Proceeds of Crime Act. The money had been frozen since 2022, when Petr Aven was sanctioned by the UK for supporting the government of Russia. Aven is the former head of Russia's largest commercial bank. Attempts to relocate the funds, as well as transactions made after March 15 2022 by Aven's estate manager, Stephen Gater, are believed by the NCA to have been in breach of those sanctions. The result announced today is significant, and marks the end of a complex and long-running investigation by the NCA's Combatting Kleptocracy Cell. It demonstrates our commitment to enforcing the UK's sanctions regime, and to recovering money held unlawfully. Read the full story ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eZZRYMcb

The National Crime Agency and seven UK banks have launched a major project to identify and take action against organised crime. Participating banks are providing the NCA with account data indicative of potential criminality, which is then analysed by a joint team of subject matter experts, and investigators from the NCA and the banks. Since May, the project has already delivered 90 intelligence packages in support of both NCA and wider law enforcement investigations. The project has provided support to the NCA’s highest priority operations against threats including organised immigration crime, fraud and money laundering. The analytical team are also working to identify new organised crime networks as well as using data science to better understand how criminals are exploiting the financial system. Eight such networks have already been identified, which are being evaluated by the NCA. This joint working is a truly innovative approach and is the first time this has been tried on such a scale anywhere in the world. It should enable us to detect and disrupt criminality, and reduce the risk banks are managing that may otherwise have been unknown. Read the full story ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eWpbEDa8

WARNING: This post contains references to child sexual abuse A man from Peterborough who was a high-ranking moderator on a site on the dark web discussing child sexual abuse has been convicted. Colin Thackeray used the dark web to give advice to others on how they could groom children with the intention of sexually abusing them. The sites involved the sexual abuse of boys and linked to indecent imagery as well as discussions of child sexual abuse. NCA officers arrested Thackeray in 2019 and found a laptop and a number of chat logs where Thackeray was exchanging indecent images, discussing how to groom and abuse children and role-playing sexual activity with children. The 62-year-old was convicted of multiple child sex abuse offences and will be sentenced in September. Thackeray was a high ranking and valued member in the chat rooms he used and had created an online persona in which he portrayed himself as a sea captain roaming the oceans with a crew of children that he would sexually abuse. Other users believed him entirely but in reality, Thackeray lived alone in squalor, spending 14 hours a day online in his horrific fantasy world. Protecting children is a top priority of the NCA and we will continue to pursue offenders like Thackery who puts them at risk. FULL STORY ➡️ https://lnkd.in/e2xGTZgm

NCA officers have arrested and charged a man in Wolverhampton as part of an investigation into an organised people smuggling ring suspected of operating in the UK. The Iraqi national Ramal Briem was detained on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration at a property in Crawford Road in Wolverhampton yesterday [25 July]. He is alleged to have been involved in a smuggling event in March 2024 which saw six people transported to Burton-upon-Trent in Staffordshire in the back of a lorry. Investigators are also linking him to an organised crime group involved in small boat crossings. People smugglers operate for profit without concern for the safety of those they transport, whether that be in the backs of lorries or in small boats. This is why dismantling and disrupting the networks involved remains a priority for the NCA. Read the full story ➡️ https://lnkd.in/en5ZhvsR