Specialist police targeting criminal kingpins once more, after arresting 3,000 and seizing £100 million in drugs

Specialist police teams dedicated to tackling organised crime across the country made more than 3,000 arrests and seized class A drugs worth over £100 million last year, as they continued to target the UK’s most serious criminals.

Throughout 2022, the nine Regional Organised Crime Units (ROCUs) in England and Wales pursued those behind organised crime groups – referred to as OCGs – involved in the importation of drugs, people and weapons, and other criminal activity.

In addition to huge amounts of cocaine and heroin, units seized firearms, ammunition, and millions of pounds in cash.

In total, 1,046 people were jailed for 4,558 years for offences such as drug importation, human trafficking and money laundering, following investigations across the ROCU network. Many more are still to go through court.

Items seized by units across the country included:

• 1,575kg of cocaine, with a potential street value of £94,500,000
• 333kg of heroin, with a potential street value of £19,980,000
• More than £5.6 million in cash likely to have been made through criminal activity
• 332 firearms and 2,444 rounds of ammunition
• 998kg of cannabis and 16,665 plants
• 870,900 tablets, including ecstasy and illicit prescription medicine

More than 400 adults and 1,300 children who were vulnerable to being exploited were also safeguarded.

ROCUs are a collection of policing units which are dedicated to tackling serious organised crime as a networked response. 

They provide specialist capabilities to target the increasingly complex threat posed by organised criminals, confronting a range of crime – from drugs gangs and cyber criminals to those involved in child sexual exploitation and modern slavery. 

Chief Constable Trevor Rodenhurst, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for ROCUs, said: “The ROCU network plays a significant role in apprehending dangerous criminals, along with stopping hazardous drugs and weapons from making their way onto our streets and protecting those being exploited as a consequence. 

“At the forefront of the network’s activity is protecting communities from the most dangerous individuals. ROCUs consistently target and apprehend the high-level criminals heading up organised crime groups causing untold misery through their own greed, and who often exploit young and vulnerable people to do the dirty work they aren’t prepared to do themselves.

“The work of these units often goes unreported and away from the public eye, however the results from last year show just how significant an impact they are having.

“We will continue to confront criminals and the threat they pose head on, and I would like to thank the people behind these operations who have worked tirelessly and diligently to ensure our communities are safer.”

South East Regional Organised Crime Unit:

In March and April, three drug smugglers who were living lavish lifestyles received total prison sentences of more than 30 years after fraudulently avoiding the prohibition on the importation of cocaine.

During July and October 2021, the trio were responsible for conducting dangerous manoeuvres in the English Channel by sailing close to container ships, with their encrypted messages showing this was to practise obtaining drugs directly from the ships. SEROCU’s investigation uncovered they were involved in a plot to take two tonnes of cocaine on board a £290,000 luxury yacht named ‘Bubble E’ travelling from South America. 

Working with UK Border Force, their vessel was intercepted on a voyage heading to Falmouth and their encrypted messages subsequently showed they were conducting reconnaissance of exit routes once they had drugs on board.