A CHOP shop” located near Stansted Airport led officers to find stolen vehicles and car parts valued at £400K and two men arrested.

Essex Police received information from colleagues in the Metropolitan Police force of a recently stolen vehicle potentially being tracked to the Uttlesford area on Monday 9 December.

A search within the Uttlesford area located the vehicle, a Mercedes GLC, within an enclosed yard.

Officers from the Stolen Vehicle Intelligence Unit spent three days sifting through an adjoining unit’s contents, resulting in them identifying a further 17 stolen high value vehicles including Mercedes, Volvo, and Porsche – the retail value of the insured losses in excess of £400k.

Enquiries by the same officers, experienced in identifying stolen cars and parts, found evidence to link the property to recent thefts from other forces’ areas – London, Hampshire, Surrey, and Kent – and Essex.

Two men from Romford, aged 35 and 38, were arrested on suspicion of theft of vehicles and handling stolen goods as part of the investigation and have been released on bail until Saturday 1 March 2025 whilst we continue our enquiries.

Detective Chief Inspector Rob Huddleston SAID: “This type of premise, known as a chop shop, has without doubt, links to wider organised crime groups who use similar premises to move stolen vehicle parts across the county and further afield for their own gain. We target these types of venues on a weekly basis in Essex.

“Theft of motor vehicles is a force priority, and we will continue to do all we can to tackle those involved in organised vehicle theft, to protect our communities from the devastating effect such a theft can have on their daily lives.”