Doncaster 'chop shop' smashed as stolen vehicles seized in raid

Multiple stolen vehicles have been traced and seized by officers after a farm in Doncaster was searched and raided by our Roads Proactive Policing Team.

Two people have been arrested after a raid on a suspected 'chop shop' in the Braithwell area of the city on the afternoon of Wednesday, 19, June.

A 'chop shop' is a term used to describe a place where stolen vehicles are dismantled so that their parts can be sold or used to repair other stolen vehicles.

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Once officers arrived on scene they discovered a HGV with a shipping container suspected to have been arranged to transport the vehicles on their onward journey.

They also found several stolen vehicles, including a group of Mercedes vehicles which had been stolen from Europe.

It is thought the stolen vans and their contents were taken from locations across the country and were in the process of being stripped of their body panels and engines prior to our discovery.

Detective Constable Larissa Porter, from Doncaster's Operation Fortify team, which tackles serious violent crime and organised criminality, said:

"This was a major find by our Roads Proactive Policing Team and disrupted what appears to be a significant criminal operation, with multiple stolen vehicles being stripped for their parts.

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"The stolen Mercedes vehicles we discovered at the farm were set to be moved again to conceal their identity and we are pleased that we have managed to stop this from happening and we hope we can now reunite these stolen vehicles with their owners.

"We know the impact car theft has on innocent people and we won't tolerate vehicles being stolen and stripped for their parts in these chop shops, which are often linked to wider organised criminality."

The two people who were arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods, possession of criminal property and money laundering have been released on police bail pending further enquiries.