Underworld: Behind the Scenes of the NCA – Details, episodes & analysis

When police forces need help with an investigation, they call in The Specialists from the NCA’s Major Crime Investigative Support team. MCIS officers have supported UK policing on the majority of high profile serious investigations in the last ten years. This final, fascinating episode looks back at some of those cases, the people who worked on the operations and the tactics which have helped them catch the worst of the UK’s offenders.

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This episode focuses on Mohammed Mokter Hossain, who ran a sophisticated people smuggling network bringing people into the UK from his home in East London. For a fee, he could also arrange for you to leave the country in the back of a lorry, which is ideal if you’re wanted for murder or child abuse offences, as two of his customers were.  The Travel Agent looks at how Hossain’s million-pound criminal empire was brought crashing down by an undercover NCA operation.

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The NCA works with law enforcement agencies across the world to track down fugitives on the run and return them to the UK to face justice. In this episode, we’ll hear from an NCA team working on the ground in Spain to capture British criminals, plus success stories from the agency’s Most Wanted campaign run in conjunction with Crimestoppers, the Spanish authorities and UK policing.

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How exactly was a gang ringleader caught and jailed after more than £100 million in dirty cash was smuggled into Dubai? Money laundering is one of the biggest threats to UK security, allowing dangerous, organised crime groups to fund their illegal operations and commit more crime. Sunshine and Lollipops investigates how NCA officers and financial investigators hunted and caught Abdullah Alfalasi and his ring of conspirators.

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If you’re a murderer on the run, or an international drug trafficker wanting to stay under the radar as you travel, a most prized possession will be your fraudulent passport. In The Golden Ticket, we learn about how NCA officers dismantled a crime group supplying fraudulently-obtained genuine passports, enabling dangerous criminals to operate and evade capture. This incredible episode highlights how the NCA used secret recording devices, undercover officers, and a masterful covert baggage search at Heathrow to collect one criminal’s DNA.

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Gun Runners goes behind the scenes of an NCA covert operation which stopped Britain’s biggest ever haul of military grade automatic weapons being smuggled by boat up the River Medway in Kent. The NCA’s covert operations to capture those attempting to smuggle weapons into the UK has seen criminals sentenced to over 488 years in prison in the last two years alone. In this episode we hear from the surveillance and firearms officers who were on the ground  when members of an organised crime gang were arrested — including the mastermind of the operation Harry Shilling.

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The second episode - Rap Sheet from Hell - unearths the horrifying details of one of the most prolific child sexual abuse offenders the NCA has ever investigated – Matthew Falder. Sadly, there are more than 830,000 adult offenders in the UK, using ever-more-sophisticated digital tools in an attempt to remain anonymous. Host Ellie Flynn speaks with psychologists, the Crown Prosecution Service and the NCA officers who caught Falder after years of evading capture to show the lengths teams went to to catch such a horrific offender.

Reporting child sexual abuse

If you are concerned that a child is at immediate risk of harm, call 999.

Concerns of child sexual abuse should be reported to Police by calling 101.

Under 18 year olds can also report online sexual abuse or grooming to the National Crime Agency’s CEOP Safety Centre: www.ceop.police.uk

Support services

Under 18 year olds can talk to Childline confidentially, at any time, by calling 0800 1111 or chat online to a counsellor by visiting www.childline.org.uk/get-support/contacting-childline/

Adults who experienced sexual abuse as child and would like to talk to someone about it can contact the National Association for People Abused in Childhood on 0808 801 0331 or by visiting https://napac.org.uk

Survivors UK runs the National Male Survivors Online Helpline – a webchat and SMS service for men, boys and non-binary people who have experienced sexual abuse at any time in their lives. www.survivorsuk.org/ways-we-can-help/ 

If you are concerned about your own sexual thoughts, feelings or behaviour towards children, speak in confidence to Stop It Now by visiting www.stopitnow.org.uk or contacting their confidential helpline on 0808 1000 900

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Underworld’s first episode delves into the life and crimes of Robert Dawes, a dangerous international criminal kingpin, who used violence and corrupt officials to traffick huge shipments of drugs from South America to Europe and the UK. Illegal drugs blight communities across the UK, with 160 tonnes of cocaine and heroin consumed there each year.

Hear the fascinating story of how Dawes was finally arrested and jailed after an NCA investigation involving law enforcement partners across the globe worked ot dismantle and demolish drug trafficking groups.

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From a Bristol car wash, Slovakian national Maros Tancos ran a ruthless modern slavery ring with the help of his partner Joanna Gomulska. Together they lured vulnerable victims with false promises before forcing them into unpaid labour and stealing their freedom.

An extensive NCA investigation tore the operation apart, leading to their 25-year combined jail sentences.

Specialist officers from the Agency reveal how this hidden horror was exposed and how they rescued and safeguarded dozens of victims.

Related links:

The modern slavery & exploitation helpline is part of leading anti-slavery charity Unseen. You can find more information about modern slavery and how to report concerns if you suspect modern slavery is taking place in your community on their website at https://www.modernslaveryhelpline.org/

This episode references themes some listeners may find upsetting. For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details 

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