Eighteen men have been arrested following a raid on a Rettendon industrial estate by police investigating a network allegedly shipping stolen cars and laundering money.
Some 60 police raided eight salvage yards at Moorlands Industrial Estate in Tile Works Road, Rettendon on Tuesday morning.
The raid, code named Operation Resolution, was headed by the Metropolitan Police stolen vehicle unit with support from eight officers from the Chelmsford police tactical team. Stolen parts from 60 Mercedes cars were recovered, which would have been shipped to Nigeria according to police.
The men were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to handle stolen cars and money laundering and have been released on police bail.
The raid follows a huge increase in the number of Mercedes cars, registered before 1996, being stolen in London. Around 900 E-class Mercedes, worth around £3,500 each, have been stolen in the last six months. Police said a financial investigation is also underway.
Head of the Metropolitan Police's economic and specialist crime unit Det Ch Supt Nigel Mawer said: "This is a major on-going operation to tackle what is believed to be an organised criminal network which steals vehicles to order, breaks them down to their component parts and exports them to Africa."
In January police found parts of 20 Mercedes in containers at Tilbury dockyards and later recovered parts belonging to around 18 Mercedes.
Operation Resolution included support from the Environment Agency, Essex Trading Standards and Customs and Excise.
Published Friday February 11, 2005
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