Eight men and three companies have been ordered to pay over £220,000 for the part they played in the biggest criminal network to be uncovered and prosecuted by the Environment Agency for attempting to export broken electronics from the UK.
Hazardous televisions, fridges containing ozone depleting substances and old computers were among the 450 tonnes of electronics illegally exported to Nigeria, Ghana and Pakistan, while the gang pocketed money by claiming to be reusing the waste legally and safely. The sentencing of three men at Basildon Crown Court this week is the second part of the most complex legal action ever taken by the Agency.
The prosecution had to be split in two as there were 15 defendants in total. National Environmental Crime Team Officers began a complex two-year investigation - code named Operation Boron - in 2008. The Agency worked closely with HMRC, police, Nigerian and Belgian authorities following intelligence reports of illegal waste being sent overseas. As investigators closed the net, a dozen 40-foot containers of hazardous electrical waste destined for Nigeria were stopped. The first arrests were made in 2009, with court proceedings underway by 2010. As the investigation progressed it became clear that some of the defendants were still exporting containers. Two defendants are still to face sentencing, and a third is still at large.
Jeff Warburton, Investigating Officer for Operation Boron said, "This has been a long and complex investigation to bring to book criminals who have flouted the law, risking people's health in developing countries and undercutting legitimate recycling businesses in the UK. Working in partnership with the authorities in Nigeria and Belgium we have successfully stopped these illegal exporters. But we won't stop there - we will continue to track down environmental criminals."
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