Police in England have confirmed that a man has sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay £873,852.48, in connection to his “leading role” in a tractor theft operation based in Oxfordshire.
Police arrested Hristo Chenchev, aged 48, of Churchbury Road, London, as part of ‘Operation Jack Knife’, in which Chenchev was found to be head of a local crime gang who stole “a large number” of tractors from the area to sell overseas.
According to a statement from Thames Valley Police, the Chenchev led crime group arranged for the exportation and sale of those tractors to Bulgaria, between the period April 1 and May 26 2020, of which the convicted was the primary financial beneficiary.
According to the police statement published on January 9, 2025, he was arrested at the scene of the crime, after officers from Thames Valley Police had been alerted to reports of individuals attempting to load stolen tractors onto the back of foreign lorries.
Tractor theft operation
He was first convicted at Oxford Crown Court on March 22, 2023, after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to conceal, disguise, convert, transfer and remove from England and Wales criminal property.
He was then subject of a Proceeds of Crime Act investigation at Oxford Crown Court which culminated on December 24 2024, in Chenchev receiving a suspended two year prison sentence and a fine of £873,852.48, payable over a three-month period.
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.”
