Suspected stolen car chop-shop busted in proactive police find

We have arrested a man and busted a suspected chop-shop used to dismantle stolen cars in a proactive operation in Stafford.

Officers unearthed more than £250,000-worth of stolen cars after finding it in Haughton on Tuesday (21 November). We have been investigating recent car thefts and actioning intelligence leads alongside our colleagues at West Midlands Police.

At this point, we think five of the cars were stolen from the West Midlands area and one of them was stolen from Staffordshire. These thefts likely happened in the last five weeks and work is being carried out to update the victims. 

We found a number of dismantled Land Rovers, a Range Rover, Jaguar and a Ford Transit van.

We then arrested a 36-year-old man, from Telford, on suspicion of handling stolen goods. He was interviewed in custody and has been released on conditional police bail while we continue to investigate.

Detective Chief Inspector Adam Yates, who has been leading on our vehicle theft initiative, said: “This is a substantial find which has been achieved through proactive policing and hard work to gather intelligence and investigate the groups responsible for vehicle theft across Staffordshire.

“We know that there’s plenty more to do in this area. We are going after vehicle thieves, proactively patrolling our roads and putting measures in place to protect people’s hard-earned belongings.

“As part of Operation Bormus, dedicated vehicle theft teams across the force are pursuing these criminals as a priority. This type of crime can have devastating effects on people, businesses and livelihoods. We are committed to putting a stop to those responsible and continuing to make progress in our fight against vehicle thieves.”

We advise taking extra steps to protect your vehicles to limit the chances of opportunists going after them – particularly if they’re high-value models. For important tips on how you can do this, visit our website here: Preventing car and vehicle theft | Crime Prevention | Staffordshire Police