SCOTLAND YARD has known for at least 12 years that a network of corrupt detectives

has helped the crime lord David Hunt to evade justice, a secret report has revealed.
Hunt, an East End businessman, is still at liberty despite being named by a High Court
judge last year, in an unsuccessful libel action against The Sunday Times, as the head of an
organised crime network. Mr Justice Simon said Hunts gang was involved in fraud, money
laundering and extreme violence.

The corrupt world of David Hunt
The leaked intelligence report shows that in 2002 the Metropolitan police suspected Hunts
gang of using corrupt officers to protect his criminal empire but failed to stop him. The
Hunt syndicate has developed an extensive criminal empire which has so far evaded
significant penetration from law enforcement, the report on Operation Tiberius says.
The syndicate has achieved this invulnerability through a mixture of utilising corrupt
police contacts and the intimidation of witnesses brave enough to give evidence against
them.
It adds: The Hunt syndicate is one of the most violent groups in northeast London and has
been responsible for a series of vicious assaults against debtors and rivals. Their main
sphere of influence is drug importation and protection. The report by the Mets anti-
corruption team names four Met detectives associated with the syndicate.
It says corrupt officers betrayed the force by:
Telling the syndicate about tracking devices placed on its vehicles
Leaking information about a police inquiry into London organised crime, including
Hunts gang
Leaking details of a financial investigation into Hunt
Carrying out checks on police intelligence databases to help Hunts syndicate.
Keith Vaz, chairman of the Commons home affairs committee, said he would write to Sir
Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Met commissioner, to demand that the corruption allegations
were properly investigated.
There are some serious questions still to be answered. We need to take note of the judges
views that there [have] been significant links to criminality and that the police investigation
has not been thorough enough, Vaz said.
John OConnor, former commander of the Flying Squad, said the Met had failed to tackle
the likes of Hunt because their organisations were too difficult to penetrate and required
huge resources.