A North London man who was part of a tractor stealing gang in Oxfordshire must pay back nearly £900,000 after he was caught smuggling the machines to Eastern Europe. Hristo Chenchev, 48, of Churchbury Road in Enfield, is said to have played a leading role in the operation which involved removing the farming equipment from the UK to Bulgaria on the back of foreign lorries.
Chenchev pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to remove criminal property at Oxford Crown Court on March 22, 2023, and was later sentenced to two years suspended for two years. At Proceeds of Crime Act hearing at the same court in December 2024, he was ordered to pay back £873,852.48 over three months.
Thames Valley Police launched Operation Jack Knife and found Chenchev was involved with an Oxfordshire tractor theft gang. The force say he was arrested at the scene after reports of people attempting to load the stolen tractors onto lorries. Police found the group, led in part by Chenchev, arranged the export of stolen tractors to Bulgaria between April and May 2020.
There was a recent influx of tractors to London during protests over inheritance tax
(Image: PA Wire/PA Images)
Senior Financial Investigator Lucy Flynn, of the North Asset Recovery Team, said: “I am pleased that Chenchev has been ordered to pay back this substantial amount of money. The group which he conspired with, was responsible for the theft of a large number of high value tractors in the Oxfordshire area and local rural communities and their businesses suffered a loss due to the thefts”
“This case shows that if you involve yourself in this sort of criminality you can expect to not only be prosecuted, but also that you will have to pay back a significant amount of money.”
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