TRAVELLERS from Dale Farm are suspected of being key players in a £30million international crime gang that has been stealing rhino horns from museums across the UK and Europe.
Travellers from the site were among 19 people arrested in raids across the country yesterday.
Video of the police raids
Hundreds of officers from 26 police forces and the Serious Organised Crime Agency targeted addresses, including the legal site at Oak Lane, in dawn raids plus a series of others linked to the group.
Raids took place at addresses previously linked to Dale Farm by the Echo, including the Smithy Fen site at Cottenham, near Cambridge, where four men were arrested.
And also council homes on the Low Hill estate in Wolverhampton where some families have lived.
Police have been investigating the activities of some members of the clan with Interpol over the last few years following the high-profile museum raids where expensive antiques and artefacts were also stolen.
Yesterday’s operation specifically targeted people suspected of being involved in six break-ins over four months last year across the country.
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