UK: Biggest nationally-coordinated crackdown on organised crime leads to convictions

OPERATION Venetic, the UK’s Biggest nationally-coordinated crackdown on serious and organised crime leads to convictions, and drugs and firearms being seized.

Officers, with the help of specialist assistance from bomb disposal experts, attended three properties across Newcastle where they made significant recoveries, including a home-made hand grenade and a Stribog carbine machine pistol.

Three self-loading pistols and more than 300 rounds of ammunition were also seized along with almost three kilos of cocaine worth £120,000, a kilo of MDMA worth £5,000 and a hydraulic press.

And on Monday, December 14, the final family member involved in the dangerous drugs operations pleaded guilty at Newcastle Crown Court, meaning Northumbria Police can now share details of the operation which led to their convictions.

The Tait family were snared back in April as part of a complex investigation into serious and organised crime in Newcastle.

When officers executed a warrant at Thomas Tait’s property in Kenton, last April, they uncovered a Glock pistol and three kilos of cocaine. While the 48-year-old was being arrested his son, Thomas Tait (Jnr), turned up at the house where he was also arrested.

Later that night, a stash of weapons was uncovered inside the home of Anne-Marie Glendenning – Tait Snr’s mother. During a search of her Byker flat, officers found a sports bag hidden inside a wardrobe, filled with a collection of weapons including a hand grenade, semi-automatic Stribog Carbine and a Glock pistol.

Glendenning, 63, told officers the bag belonged to her 21-year-old grandson Daniel, who had left it there for safe-keeping and that she believed it was full of clothes.

As the investigation continued – another man linked to the conspiracy, David Nixon, was later arrested. During the course of the investigation, £15,000 cash and 10 kilos of mixing agent were seized and linked to Nixon.

The 27-year-old was subsequently charged and has since appeared in court alongside all four members of the Tait family.

Following a series of hearings at Newcastle Crown Court, the group have now all been convicted of their respective roles in the conspiracy and are due to be sentenced next year at a date yet to be set.

These convictions are the result of a long and complex investigation that relied on the expertise of a number of specialist teams from across the Force.

PLEAS:

• Thomas Tait Sr, 48, of Orchard Green, Newcastle, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court on Monday where he pleaded guilty to possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply and possession of a firearm.
• His mother, Ann-Marie Glendenning, 63, of Northumberland Terrace, Byker, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court on August 21 and pleaded guilty to three counts of possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition.
• Tait’s eldest son Thomas Tait, 22, of Saffron Place, Walker, appeared on July 29 and admitted possession of class A drugs with intent to supply.
• His brother Daniel Tait, 21, of Rennington Place, Newcastle, also appeared on July 29 and admitted possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply, three counts of possession of a firearm and possessing ammunition.
• Their associate, David Nixon, 27, of Chase Meadows in Blyth, appeared on August 29, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess a firearm and being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.

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