Man jailed after police find treasure trove of stolen items during warrant

An ‘Aladdin’s cave’ of stolen goods and a large amount of Class A drugs were uncovered by police during an intelligence-led warrant.

Officers had received information that shop thieves had been taking stolen goods to the address, in Newgate Lane, Mansfield, and selling them in exchange for cash or drugs.

What they discovered during their proactive Misuse of Drugs Act warrant was an ‘Aladdin's cave’ of suspected stolen items including tagged designer clothes, boxed jewellery, cosmetics, an electric scooter, wireless headphones and earphones, packets of steak and fish, coffee, laundry and toiletry products, chocolate bars, bottles of whiskey, and a boxed Henry Hoover.

Police also seized bags of white powder and cannabis, mobile phones, scales, dealer’s lists, and just over £2,000 in cash after searching the property.

Forty-two-year-old Kamil Ziebicki was arrested while they were on site on suspicion of handling stolen goods and possession with intent to supply drugs.

He was subsequently charged in connection with the police raid which was carried out on the afternoon of 2 March 2023.

Ziebicki, of Newgate Lane, Mansfield, went on to plead guilty to two counts of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs, namely MDMA and cocaine, and two offences of possession with intent to supply Class B drugs, specifically cannabis and amphetamine. In addition, he also admitted three counts of handling stolen goods.

Ziebicki appeared at Nottingham Crown Court for sentencing on 22 November.

He was jailed for two years and four months.

Inspector Kylie Davies, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “I can only describe what our officers found during this warrant as an ‘Aladdin's cave’, where one discovery of suspected stolen goods led to another and then another.

"On top of that, our officers also found a fairly large amount of MDMA, amphetamine, cannabis and a small amount of cocaine as well as £2,085 cash.

“From the evidence we gathered it was clear Ziebicki had an intention to supply the drugs.

"We are glad to have taken such a large amount of drugs out of the chain which would probably have been sold on the streets of Mansfield and even further afield.

“In relation to the suspected stolen property, we manage to establish some of the goods we seized had been stolen from the B&M and Farmfoods stores in Mansfield.

"A designer jacket and bikini top recovered from the address were identified as being stolen from the Flannels store in Shirebrook, Derbyshire.

“Shop theft is not only hugely damaging to our local businesses but also the community as a whole.

"Targeting those involved in acquisitive crime, like shop theft, is a priority for the force as part of our retail crime action plan.

“We are continuing to work every day with local businesses and partner organisations to quickly identify offenders and increase trust and confidence across the retail sector that if a crime happens, then we will respond and take appropriate action.”