More than 300 police officers carry out dawn raids across Essex

Police seize Mercedes, BMWs and Jaguars in dawn raids across Essex involving 300 officers after probe into theft of dozens of cars worth more than £3m

  • Police were sent to a farm near Romford, Essex early this morning for dawn raids
  • At least nine arrests made and 20 warrants executed in the raids at around 5am
  • Dramatic photos shows police at the scene cutting into some sealed containers
  • Around £50,000 worth of cash is thought to have been seized during the raids

At least 300 police officers were involved in dawn raids across Essex this morning after a probe into the theft of dozens of cars worth more than £3m.

Officers were sent to a farm near Romford, Essex and around 20 other locations across the county and east London at around 5.45am today as they targeted a ‘prolific gang’ believed to have been working in the area.

During the joint sting by Essex Police, British Transport Police and the Met, officers seized Mercedes, BMWs and Jaguars alongside around £50,000 worth of cash.

Around nine arrests are believed to have been made, and in east London a cannabis farm is also reported to have been found. 

Police believe around 90 cars have been stolen by the gang in the last 16 months, with many suspected to have been taken from railway station car parks.

Officers carried out dawn raids at a number of locations in Essex this morning (pictured at the scene of a raid in Essex today)

In a joint sting by British Transport Police, Essex Police and the Met, officers seized Mercedes, BMWs and Jaguars (pictured, officers cut open a sealed garage at a location in Essex)

An armoured car was used to smash into one of the Essex properties during the early morning raids today

Officers used an armoured ‘Jankel’ ford truck to smash their way into the Essex farm – one of several properties targeted – where they found several outbuildings.

Dramatic photographs show police at the scene using an angle grinder to cut their way into a sealed garage and retrieve suspected stolen property.

Inside officers are believed to have found suspected stolen cars, with some dismantled into component parts. 

The gang thought to be behind the thefts is suspected to have targeted locations across Essex including Billericay, Ingatestone, and Brentwood. 

At least 300 officers are thought to have been involved in the early morning raids today (pictured, officers sit inside a police van during the raids)

A police car is seen at a property in Essex during the early morning raids. Officers found a number of suspected stolen vehicles early this morning

Elsewhere, in east London, the gang is thought to have stolen vehicles from towns including Havering, Barking and Dagenham.

In some cases, the suspected thieves are reported to have used a tow-truck to remove expensive cars in just a few minutes.

The slick operation is thought to have netted the gang dozens of vehicles. 

Once stolen the identities of the vehicles are changed, with their number plates switched out and code numbers replaced. 

Cars are then sold on to people who may not know they’re purchasing a stolen vehicle – and other times the vehicles are dismantled into parts or shipped abroad. 

An investigation is now underway to see whether vehicles found at the farm in Essex are stolen or legitimately owned.

The raids following a probe into a number of expensive vehicle thefts across Essex and east London. 

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