ANNEX 10: UK RETAINED COMMUNICATIONS DATA USE CASES
Case 7
7.
In January 2008 customs officers at Birmingham airport discovered over 16 kilos of
heroine concealed with straws which had been threaded through rugs imported from
Afghanistan, they alerted SOCA. SOCA substituted the drugs rugs with dummies,
replaced the original packaging, and began a surveillance operation when the gang
came to collect them. After the gang's hire car was abandoned for the second time,
SOCA investigators decided to switch from traditional surveillance and to focus
instead on their other main lead – a single unregistered mobile telephone number
used by the gang to contact the courier company. Analysis of telephone data
ultimately led to the identification of five men involved in the plot. All five gang
members pleaded guilty on the strength of the telephone evidence. The four main
players were sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court in June 2009 to between 10
years 8 months and 14 years 8 months and 14 years 5 months for conspiracy to import
Class A drugs.
Case 8
8.
Police investigated (Operation Backfill) a series of armed robberies where high value
cars were advertised on a website for sale for “strictly cash only'”. Persons interested
in buying the cars went to meet the supposed traders and were robbed at gun point.
Police examined internet data and identified the laptop and premises from where the
suspects had logged onto the internet when posting the advertisements, leading to a
number of arrests.
Case 9
9.
In October 2004 a large criminal network conspired to steal £229 million from a bank
in the City of London by transferring funds to bank accounts opened in seven different
countries. Landline and mobile telephone communication data was critical to
establishing those involved in this crime and understanding how it happened. The
network members used landline, mobile, and kiosk phones in the UK and across
multiple countries. Three defendants were extradited to the UK for trial. Billing data,
call data and cell-site location data were all used as evidence in the trial which took
place in March 2009. Three defendants were convicted of conspiracy to steal and
two were convicted of money laundering.
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