Latest news with #SWROCU
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Man ordered to pay £140,000 after crypto fraud
A man from Wiltshire has been ordered to pay back more than £140,000 after committing "international cryptocurrency fraud". James Heppel, 44, from Staverton in Wiltshire, was handed the confiscation order at Bristol Crown Court on June 6 following an investigation by the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit. He now has three months to pay the order or face an additional 18 months in jail. Heppel was convicted of three counts of conspiracy to commit fraud in May last year alongside Jake Lee, from Bath, who was handed a four-year sentence and a confiscation order for nearly £1million. Recommended reading Thousands of former Wilko staff to receive compensation after collapse Stalker left ex partner and her young children in fear for their safety Latest pro-Palestine march in Swindon prompts heated debate The pair carried out the fraud by spoofing the domain of online cryptocurrency exchange to access victims' Bitcoin wallets, stealing their funds and login details. During this time, "55 victims in 26 countries were identified, with total losses of £5.7 million worth of cryptocurrency". DS Matt Brain from SWROCU's Regional Cyber Crime Unit said: 'This additional money will add to the compensation received by the victims we identified in the case, including 11 in the UK. 'We have a team of financial investigators who work closely with the CPS to evidence how much money criminals like Heppel and Lee have made through crime, and to ensure the maximum amount possible is taken off them to pay that back. 'Our investigation started back in 2018 after colleagues at Avon and Somerset Police arrested Lee on suspicion of money laundering. As well as £24k cash, officers from the force seized digital devices and three laminated Bitcoin wallet recovery seeds." Heidi Leaney, Legal Manager for the CPS' Proceeds of Crime Division, said: "James Heppel was involved in a sophisticated cryptocurrency fraud which caused devastating financial and emotional harm to victims across the globe. 'We worked closely with financial investigators in SWROCU to identify his available assets and secure this £140,000 Confiscation Order, which will go some way towards compensating victims. "The CPS will always use the powers available to ensure crime does not pay, depriving criminals of their ill-gotten gains and ensuring where we can that monies are repaid to the victim.' In May 2024, the two men were jailed and cash totalling £835k, which includes a suitcase containing £551k cash voluntarily handed over by Lee in January, as well as £64k worth of cryptocurrency, a Banksy print worth £60k and three vehicles, have all been restrained.
BBC News
12-06-2025
- BBC News
South West organised crime unit's performance 'inconsistent'
Five police forces must make improvements to how they work together to tackle serious and organised crime, an inspectorate has South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) works closely with the local police forces to share information and coordinate complex investigations. His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) found issues with recruitment meant the unit had hired staff with "little experience".It also cited inconsistences among the performance of regional police, poorly-connected IT across forces, and a failure to conduct formal threat assessments. Created in 2010, the SWROCU covers the five force areas of Avon and Somerset Police, Gloucestershire Constabulary, Devon and Cornwall Police, Dorset Police, and Wiltshire unit was graded as 'adequate' overall, but it was determined four of the individual forces 'require improvement', while Gloucestershire Constabulary was deemed 'inadequate'. Assistant chief constable Rich Ocone said he was "disappointed with the findings", but added Gloucestershire Constabulary had been "working hard over the past year to improve areas the inspectors highlighted". "There is always room for improvement but we are confident we have the necessary leadership in place, and that throughout the organisation there's a solid grasp of the risks associated with serious organised crimes and how to address them," he said. Across the region, inspectors found examples of forces undertaking investigations involving serious organised crime groups, despite them not being formally threat added the unit and its regional forces were "not assessing their serious and organised crime threats consistently" due to a lack of the vacancy rate had reduced in the 12 months prior to the inspection, HMICFRS said that to address resource problems, the unit had recruited staff with little experience of investigating serious and organised crime. 'Troubling to hear' His Majesty's chief inspector of constabulary, Sir Andy Cooke, said: "It was positive to see [the unit] effectively manages support requests from forces and other agencies, and appoints senior officers to lead on regional priorities."But the unit and its regional forces need to improve how they assess threats and how they work together to tackle serious and organised crime. "It was troubling to hear about the recruitment issues faced by forces, meaning personnel are not always as experienced as they should be. "And IT across forces isn't well connected, making it harder for personnel to do their jobs. "We will be working closely with the unit and monitoring its progress against our recommendations."
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Drug dealer who went on run for three years jailed
A woman who has been on the run for three years after admitting smuggling drugs into prison and importing cocaine into the UK has been jailed. Emily MacArthur, 34, of no fixed address, failed to appear in court back in April 2022 having pleaded guilty to both offences. Her co-conspirator and former partner Dennis Obasi was sentenced to 11 years and seven months in November 2022. On Friday, MacArthur was sentenced to 13 years and 11 months in prison when she appeared at Swindon Crown Court. The hearing was told MacArthur exploited young people and vulnerable women to smuggle her drugs so she could fund a lavish lifestyle. MacArthur was also jailed for the previous guilty pleas, but also for three counts of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs, possession of criminal property, and the failure to attend court. An investigation by the the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) started when UK Border Force discovered cocaine in parcels in January 2020. Officers stopped three parcels from Jamaica, addressed to MacArthur at flats in Frome and Bristol. Cocaine, with a street value of more than £13,000, was hidden inside what looked to be shipments of seasonings. MacArthur and Obasi had tens of thousands of messages between each other about making lots of money from drugs. In one message, MacArthur talks about "moving to hard food" – meaning cocaine – as she needed £23,000 for a car and wanted to live in a nicer house. Officers from the Metropolitan Police were also investigating MacArthur about the supply of Spice into prisons. Police issued a warrant to search MacArthur's home in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, in February 2020. At the address, they uncovered substantial amounts of Spice and arrested MacArthur and Obasi. Equipment was found showing they had been making fake legal letters - which were not allowed to be opened by prison staff - to smuggle the Spice into jail. Between February 2019 and March 2020, at least 40 fake letters were recovered from 11 prisons in England, each package having between 25 and 50 sheets of infused paper. More news stories for Wiltshire Listen to the latest news for Wiltshire The court heard that after the pair was released under investigation, they carried on drug dealing. Thames Valley Police arrested them when they were seen dropping off two teenagers at an address belonging to a vulnerable man. MacArthur used aliases to move around and avoid capture, but was arrested in Belfast in June 2024. DC Williams from SWROCU explained that MacArthur had been exploiting young people and vulnerable women to smuggle drugs. "It was all just about money and bettering her lifestyle. "She's tried hard over the past few years to avoid being caught but now it's her turn to face justice for the harm she's caused," he said. Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Man smuggled drugs into jail with fake legal papers
BBC News
16-05-2025
- BBC News
On-the-run drug dealer jailed after being hunted for three years
A woman who has been on the run for three years after admitting smuggling drugs into prison and importing cocaine into the UK has been jailed. Emily MacArthur, 34, of no fixed address, failed to appear in court back in April 2022 having pleaded guilty to both co-conspirator and former partner Dennis Obasi was sentenced to 11 years and seven months in November Friday, MacArthur was sentenced to 13 years and 11 months in prison when she appeared at Swindon Crown Court. The hearing was told MacArthur exploited young people and vulnerable women to smuggle her drugs so she could fund a lavish lifestyle. MacArthur was also jailed for the previous guilty pleas, but also for three counts of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs, possession of criminal property, and the failure to attend court. Drugs disguised as seasoning An investigation by the the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) started when UK Border Force discovered cocaine in parcels in January stopped three parcels from Jamaica, addressed to MacArthur at flats in Frome and Bristol. Cocaine, with a street value of more than £13,000, was hidden inside what looked to be shipments of and Obasi had tens of thousands of messages between each other about making lots of money from one message, MacArthur talks about "moving to hard food" – meaning cocaine – as she needed £23,000 for a car and wanted to live in a nicer house. Officers from the Metropolitan Police were also investigating MacArthur about the supply of Spice into issued a warrant to search MacArthur's home in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, in February 2020. At the address, they uncovered substantial amounts of Spice and arrested MacArthur and was found showing they had been making fake legal letters - which were not allowed to be opened by prison staff - to smuggle the Spice into February 2019 and March 2020, at least 40 fake letters were recovered from 11 prisons in England, each package having between 25 and 50 sheets of infused paper. The court heard that after the pair was released under investigation, they carried on drug Valley Police arrested them when they were seen dropping off two teenagers at an address belonging to a vulnerable man. MacArthur used aliases to move around and avoid capture, but was arrested in Belfast in June Williams from SWROCU explained that MacArthur had been exploiting young people and vulnerable women to smuggle drugs. "It was all just about money and bettering her lifestyle."She's tried hard over the past few years to avoid being caught but now it's her turn to face justice for the harm she's caused," he said.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
Ex police officer used Snapchat to exploit 'child'
A former police officer has admitted to attempting to have sexual communications with a child on Snapchat. Barry Geering, 44, was working for Wiltshire Police at the time of his arrest in April 2024. He was caught by the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) communicating with someone he thought was a child over several days. On Tuesday, he pleaded guilty to attempted sexual communication with a child when he appeared at Bristol Magistrates' Court. Deputy Chief Constable Mark Cooper said: "Our core priority as officers is to protect those most vulnerable and yet Geering purposefully sought to exploit a child. His actions are simply incompatible with those expected of our officers." Geering was suspended from duty upon his arrest. He resigned from Wiltshire Police two months later. Wiltshire Police's Professional Standards Department is carrying out a separate investigation into potential breaches of standards of professional behaviour by Geering. Mr Cooper said the force will look to "accelerate" these misconduct proceedings. Geering is due to be sentenced at Bristol Magistrates' Court on 23 June. 'Reckless' driver jailed after dangerous chase Police officer admits making child abuse images Police officer barred for pushing boy against wall South West Regional Crime Unit
