Weapons and drugs haul from homes of Newcastle’s ‘untouchable’ crime family
OPERATION VENETIC WAS THE BIGGEST CRACKDOWN ON SERIOUS AND ORGANISED CRIME THE COUNTRY HAS EVER SEEN
A HAUL of firearms, a hand grenade and thousands of pounds’ worth of drugs were seized from a Newcastle crime family who thought they were “untouchable”.
The weapons and illegal substances were found at three Newcastle homes during raids which required the specialist assistance of bomb disposal experts.
Officers raided the homes of the Tait family in Byker, Kenton and Cowgate where they discovered a homemade 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.
On Monday, the final family member involved in the dangerous drugs conspiracy pleaded guilty at Newcastle Crown Court.
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 were 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 safekeeping 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.
The investigation was part of Operation Venetic, the biggest nationallycoordinated crackdown on serious
and organised crime the country has ever seen.
Speaking after the final hearing, Detective Chief Inspector Paul Woods, from Northumbria Police’s Priority and Organised Crime Team (POCT), said: “These convictions are the result of a long and complex investigation which relied on the expertise of a number of specialist teams from across the force.
“The Tait family thought they were untouchable – not only were they making money from selling illicit substances, but they were in possession of illegal weapons.
“No doubt many people in our communities will be shocked by the details of this case and by the images of those weapons we recovered.
“The public can be assured that whenever we suspect that illegal firearms are in the hands of criminals our dedicated teams will waste no time in seizing and destroying them – and taking robust action against those in their possession.
“Brazen and shameless criminals like the Taits and their associates should be warned that the net is closing in on organised crime. It’s a question of when, not if.
“I would like to thank all the officers and staff involved in this investigation for their hard work and dedication.”
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, Anne-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, 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.