Hull men jailed for roles in sophisticated crime ring that targets expensive farm tech using drones

Two “professional criminals” from Hull stole lucrative GPS devices from farm machinery as part of a big nationwide crime ring. Drones were used to carry out reconnaissance missions as part of a “growing business” to target rural areas for the theft of GPS devices. There had been a “massive increase” in such targeted crime in recent years, Hull Crown Court[1] heard.

It could cause serious losses to farmers because of the vital role of the devices in maximising profits from crops. Tomas Staukauskas, 32, of Beverley Road, Hull, and Mantas Palionis, 31, of Abbey Street, Hull, admitted handling stolen goods and going equipped for theft. Jennifer Gatland, prosecuting, said that police saw Staukauskas driving a Vauxhall Antara vehicle, which had false registration plates, on September 30 and followed it to Mount Pleasant retail park, east Hull.

Staukauskas ran off and jumped through a hedge. He was caught and police found 21 stolen global positioning system (GPS) devices. They were traced to a farm storage area, where police found 28 more stolen GPS devices and screens, each valued at GBP5,000.

At least 25 had been stolen from a wide area, stretching from Scotland to Devon. Staukauskas also admitted entering this country in breach of a deportation order served on him in December 2017 while he was in prison. He had come back to this country illegally four times.

The role of Palionis was discovered after police investigated a criminal operation to steal valuable agricultural GPS units. A stolen van was found in Abbey Street with false registration plates. Inside the van was a banned GPS jammer, which affected police radios, as well as false registration plates.

“The possession of such a device indicates involvement in a sophisticated operation,” said Miss Gatland. “This is not the same as having a pair of bolt croppers.” Palionis also admitted aggravated vehicle taking in Bristol, in December 2019, and two offences of driving while over the drug-driving limit in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, in March last year. Nigel Clive, mitigating, said that Staukauskas came to this country from Lithuania to earn easy money and he repeatedly returned here after being deported.

He got involved in the large-scale criminal activities. Staukauskas picked the stolen items up and moved them about. “He knows he should not have come back and he has on more than one occasion,” said Mr Clive. “This plan was not his.

Clearly, there were those more involved than him. The Crown has not cut the head off this snake by his arrest.” David Godfrey, representing Palionis, said: “He wants to go back to Lithuania, put this mess behind him and sort his life out.

His plan is, once he has been released from custody, to go home to Lithuania and, in his own words, live a wholesome life. He was mixing with the wrong sorts of people.” Palionis was using a van that he knew was stolen for his day-to-day life and he knew that the jammer was there.

The van was also used by others. Judge Kate Rayfield told Staukauskas that it was “planned and professional offending of a serious type” involving specialist devices stolen from high-value agricultural machinery. “It’s not easy to steal these devices,” said Judge Rayfield. Drones were used to carry out reconnaissance before criminals returned to steal them.

The GPS devices were necessary for farmers to use machinery properly, including for planting in very precise places, and their loss could affect the money made on crop yields. “This is a growing business for criminals with a massive increase in the last few years,” said Judge Rayfield. “It must have been obvious that you were working within an organised crime unit.” Judge Rayfield told Palionis: “You are also a professional criminal.

You have a keen interest in stealing cars. You certainly wanted to be involved in the theft or handling of high-value items. “Only high-value items have those GPS devices.

This was planned and professional offending.” Staukauskas was jailed for four years. Palionis was jailed for three years.

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References

1. ^ Hull Crown Court (www.hulldailymail.co.uk)
2. ^