- Special investigations police teams in South Africa and Britain this morning raided several buildings in the two countries to cover up an assumed league stealing precious metals in South Africa and smuggling it to the UK. The police believes the league's theft of gold, silver, platinum, palladium and rhodium could be worth up to rand 230 million (euro 30 million).
The British National Crime Squad (NCS) this morning raided several UK addresses in support of an operation with the South African Directorate of Special Investigations - known as the Scorpions - and the South African Police, according to a statement by the NCS. Simultaneously, in South Africa, 12 people were arrested for money laundering, racketeering, and other offences. They are to be prosecuted in South Africa for racketeering offences, which carry a maximum sentence of 30 years.
The operation - termed "CLOWN/Project YIELD" by the police - was an investigation into the theft and hijacking of platinum group metals from mines and refineries in South Africa. The metals - gold, silver, platinum, palladium and rhodium - were allegedly illegally exported to the UK as scrap precious metals under bogus invoices. Britain is known to be the world's major resale market for several global criminal sectors, ranging from stolen art to metals and diamonds.
According to the London police, NCS detectives believe "a legitimate precious metal refinery in Cambridgeshire, owned by a member of the crime group, arranged collection and then sold the metals on to legitimate companies in the UK." The proceeds were allegedly laundered into offshore accounts and eventually used to fund criminal activity in South Africa.
These criminal activities in South Africa, according to the NCS, included "further hijacks and thefts, other types of serious crime, and funding their criminal lifestyle." The crime group is thought to be responsible for the theft of at least £20 million worth of precious metals (rand 230 million or euro 30 million).
The refinery owner was among the 15 persons arrested in South Africa this morning. The man is a British resident of South African descent, according to the police. He was further said to own "several UK businesses."
The British National Crime Squad had been gathering evidence of the imports into the UK, as well as gathering evidence around his financial and criminal status. The Squad executed 6 warrants in the British municipalities of Cambridgeshire, Herefordshire, Gloucester and on Heathrow Airport.
The police said it believed that the operations of the South African criminal syndicate employed organised crime tactics. "They had access to refineries and mines," the NCS statement said. It was further suspected they "secured the complicity of corrupt South African law enforcement officers and customs officials to mask their exports and launder money."
DI Paul Fullwood of the National Crime Squad commented that this morning's events "involved over 400 officers internationally, including members of the Scorpions, the National Crime Squad, mine specialists from South Africa and the UK, Her Majesty's Customs and Excise (HMCE), and local officers."
- This operation demonstrates the success that can be achieved through joint working, added Mr Fullwood. "We are delighted to have assisted our South African colleagues in disrupting this sophisticated organised crime group."
Advocate Gerhard NEL, Head of the Scorpions in South Africa's Gauteng Region, also praised the cooperation. "Today's success would not have been possible without the international cooperation and assistance of the UK National Crime Squad. This operation is an excellent example of international law enforcement agencies working together to combat serious and organised crime," added Mr Gerhard.
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