A huge hoard of poached deer skulls, antlers, fox tails, and weapons were uncovered alongside a quad bike following a warrant.
Acting on intelligence officers from the Bassetlaw neighbourhood policing team, Newark and Sherwood Operation Reacher, and a team from the tactical support group joined forces to carry out the warrant in Shrewsbury Road, Worksop, on Friday 24 February 2023.
Gaining entry into the house officers methodically worked through the address, leaving no object or piece of clothing unturned.
After first finding cannabis, officers were then met with over 15 deer skulls hidden outside in the garden.
A closer look then led cops straight to discovering 13 fox tails, a quad bike, bags full of wire, a barrel of bleach and a knife in a camouflaged sheaf.
A rifle and ammunition were also discovered at the property.
A 31-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of possession of ammunition, possession of a firearm without a certificate, possession of a Class B drug, entering land as a trespasser at night with poaching equipment, hunting a wild mammal with dogs, and without the consent of the owner or occupier of land taking, killing or injuring a deer.
He has since been bailed with conditions as our specially qualified wildlife crime officers undertake a thorough investigation continues into the firearms and rural crimes.
Chief Inspector Heather Maelor, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “We were alerted to potential criminal activity and after gathering a whole host of intelligence acted in an attempt to protect our communities. We not only uncovered two dangerous weapons but an absolutely shocking number of skulls, fox tails, and equipment used to poach innocent animals. Rural crime remains one of our priorities – not only protecting people and businesses but also innocent animals. These animals have done nothing to deserve being inhumanly slaughtered and killed for the sheer satisfaction of someone having some fun.
“This warrant is just one of the ways we are cracking down on our rural criminals targeting our communities throughout the whole of Bassetlaw and putting a stop to them causing utter misery for families and businesses. This incident demonstrates we have the skills and ability to investigate and put a stop to both rural and wildlife crimes. We understand the criminality that can result thanks to the use of drugs and weapons in our society and the damage they can cause to innocent people and the surrounding communities. Our investigation into this is continuing but we really need anyone who notices anything suspicious in their area or has any information on rural crime to please get in touch with us or make an anonymous report.”
Source: Nottinghamshire Police
