More than 30 arrests in organised crime crackdown

Thirty-three people have been arrested across Yorkshire and the Humber as part of a crackdown on organised crime groups linked to illegal immigration.

£1m worth of cannabis, £65,000 in cash and 24 vehicles were seized as part of enforcement operations in March co-ordinated by the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit (YHROCU).

Fake identity and banking documents and counterfeit goods worth £50,000 were also recovered by the unit, immigration enforcement and local police forces.

Det Supt Al Burns, from the YHROCU, said the ongoing operation was making a "very significant impact" on criminal networks.

"These organised crime groups are intrinsically linked to illegal migration, violent crime and the exploitation of vulnerable people, and their activities cause real harm in our communities," he said.

"We remain absolutely committed to doing everything we can to disrupt and dismantle their criminal enterprises, and we hope the successful outcomes of this latest operation will provide some reassurance to people across the region."

The initiative, led by the National Police Chiefs Council, works to identify organised crime networks involved in large-scale cannabis production.

The action in March focused on enforcement action against businesses and other addresses suspected of being involved.

Twenty-five warrants were carried out, along with 22 visits to businesses and 12 roads policing operations.

An additional 4,707 cannabis plants and 246kg of cannabis was found during these searches.

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