Two men have been jailed for stealing high value GPS systems from tractors on farms in Lancaster and Morecambe.
The thefts of multiple units, totalling more than £200,000, occurred between July and August 2024.
Aidas Cinga, 27 and Damantas Skeltys, 28, both of no fixed address, were each sentenced to three years and four months for conspiracy to steal tractor GPS units and going equipped for theft.
Cinga and Skeltys stole GPS units from tractors on farms within the areas of Quernmor and Heaton-with-Oxcliffe, as well as Great Altcar, West Lancashire, during a two month period.
In the early hours of Thursday 15th August 2024 at around 2:45am officers stopped a silver Citroen Grand Picasso on the M61 heading southbound in the Chorley area.
On board the vehicle was the driver, Skeltys, and the front seat passenger, Cinga.
The two men and the vehicle were searched for items related to theft. Within the vehicle officers found two pairs of wellington boots, bags of black clothing including snoods, gloves, and a shoulder style bum bag containing tools such as screwdrivers, cutting pliers and socket attachments.
Following this search, both men were arrested on suspicion of going equipped for theft. They were charged and remanded to appear at Preston Magistrates Court the following day. At court, Police were granted an extension to their detention so that further offences could be investigated, this resulted in further charges of conspiracy to steal tractor GPS units.
This was a multi force operation involving officers from Lancashire, Cheshire, North Yorkshire, Humberside, and the National Rural Crime Unit. The two men are known to numerous different forces across the country including Lancashire, Cheshire, Northumbria, Yorkshire and North Wales for offences of a similar nature.
Sergeant Darren Carr of the South Rural, Wildlife & Heritage Crime Task Force said: “It can be easy to underestimate the impact of these thefts on our farmers, and the effect it has on the cost of our food in shops.
‘’Although the GPS units themselves cost several thousands of pounds and the damage caused by removing them is considerable, often disabling the tractor, the impact goes much further.
“These units allow our farmers to maximise the yield from their crop whilst minimising costs. Without these devices the cost of food production increases and the amount produced decreases. This seriously damages the farmers’ profits, and increases the cost of the food we purchase for both ourselves and our animals.
“These convictions are a result of several police forces working in collaboration with the National Rural Crime Team and has already had a huge impact on crime. Since these arrests, not one GPS unit has been stolen from tractors in the north of England or Wales.
‘’Hopefully these sentences will serve as a deterrent to organised criminals from targeting UK farmers.”
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