More than 800 Met Police officers carried out a series of dramatic dawn raids yesterday in a major operation targeting one of Britain's most feared crime gangs.
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officers → carry → gangs
A specialist tactical officer was stabbed in the leg as the force swooped on 24 properties and arrested 17 people across London and four counties.
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force → stab → London
The operation is believed to have targeted the 'Hunt Syndicate', a criminal network linked to offences ranging from fraud and money laundering to serious violence.
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operation → believe → violence
David Hunt, nicknamed the 'Long Fella' due to his 6ft 5in stature, allegedly heads the family.
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Hunt → nickname → family
A former close friend of fellow East Ender Reggie Kray, he has always denied any links to crime, has no convictions, and insisted he is a legitimate businessman.
A police van was seen yesterday leaving Mr Hunt's sprawling Essex mansion.
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van → deny → mansion
Police blocked the long tree-lined drive leading up to the seven-bedroom home and officers were seen coming in and out all day.
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officers → block → home
Properties were also raided in Essex, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk, with searches expected to continue for several days.
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searches → raid → days
The stabbing happened as officers executed a warrant at an address in Cockfosters, north London.
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officers → happen → Cockfosters
David Hunt, nicknamed the 'Long Fella' due to his 6ft 5in stature, allegedly heads the Hunt family
The officer – from the Met's Tactical Support Group (TSG) – was treated at the scene by colleagues and paramedics before being taken to hospital.
His injuries are not life changing, police said.
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police → nickname → hospital
The raids were part of an investigation by Met organised crime detectives working alongside HMRC and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
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raids → organise → HMRC
The Met said the arrests were 'the product of many months of intense investigation'.
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arrests → say → investigation
Alongside the 17 arrests, the wider operation saw the FCA disrupt seven firms.
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FCA → see → firms
The regulator said it is also pursuing a further 30 businesses.
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it → say → businesses
The youngest person arrested was a 26-year-old man on suspicion of participating in the activities of an organised crime group, money laundering, tax evasion and false accounting.
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person → arrest → group
The oldest was a 65-year-old man on suspicion of participating in the activities of an organised crime group, conspiracy to commit GBH, money laundering and tax evasion.
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oldest → participate → GBH
A Met spokesman said: 'These arrests mark a significant point in this investigation.
'
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arrests → say → investigation
Those arrested are suspected of leading or being involved at a senior level in serious and organised crime and related financial offending.
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Those → arrest → crime
We know the impact of serious and organised crime stretches well beyond those at senior levels of the organisations involved.
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impact → know → organisations
Lines can often be drawn from the top, all the way to those involved in the criminality that blights communities, including serious violence and exploitation.
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that → draw → violence
'Investigating these groups is among the most complex work the Met undertakes.
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Met → investigate → work
It requires a significant investment of time and money and the expertise not just of specialist police officers but of colleagues from partner organisations like HMRC and the FCA.
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It → require → HMRC
We hope these arrests show how determined we are to ensure organised crime groups cannot operate freely in London.
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groups → hope → London
We will work tirelessly to identify them, to gather evidence and to take action.
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We → work → action
Mr Hunt was raised in a cramped council flat in Canning Town, east London, as the youngest of 13 children born to Christian parents.
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Hunt → raise → parents
After leaving school at 16, he became an amateur boxer and quickly gained a reputation as a ferocious fighter.
He ran a waste management company and scrap metal yard before moving into property development.
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He → leave → development
He is also close with the boxer Mike Tyson, with whom he shares a love of pigeons.
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he → share → pigeons
A police van was seen yesterday leaving Mr Hunt's sprawling Essex mansion
The Hunt syndicate was named in a Met intelligence report from the early 2000s into crime gangs alleged to have been assisted by corrupt officers.
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syndicate → see → officers
Mr Hunt has always insisted he is a legitimate businessman.
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he → insist → ?
In 2013, he brought an unsuccessful legal case against the Sunday Times for libel for referring to him as a 'crime lord'.
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he → bring → lord
His counsel portrayed him as a 'rough diamond' who 'was a misunderstood property tycoon whose only passions in life were his family and racing pigeons'.
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passions → portray → life
A FCA spokesman said: 'Tackling financial crime requires the type of partnership shown by today's joint action and the many months of close cooperation leading to it.
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Tackling → say → it
We'll continue to work with the police and others to identify and disrupt organised crime groups who abuse our financial system to launder dirty money.'
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who → continue → money
HMRC said: 'Today's action highlights the importance of close collaboration between HMRC and other law enforcement partners in tackling serious and organised crime, including suspected money laundering and other criminal activity.'
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action → say → laundering
Those arrested include:
- A 65-year-old man, arrested on suspicion of: participating in the activities of an organised crime group, conspiracy to commit GBH, money laundering, tax evasion
- A 31-year-old woman, arrested on suspicion of: conspiracy to commit GBH, participating in the activities of an organised crime group
- A 56-year-old man, arrested on suspicion of: GBH (in relation to the stabbing of the police officer), participating in the activities of an organised crime group, money laundering, tax evasion, false accounting, failure to disclose suspicion of money laundering
- A 64-year-old man, arrested on suspicion of: participating in the activities of an organised crime group, money laundering, failure to disclose suspicion of money laundering
-
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Those → arrest → laundering
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