A 23-YEAR-OLD man is set to appear in court charged with handling stolen goods worth up to £500,000.

The charges came after Dorset Police’s Rural Crime Team carried out two warrants at rural locations in the East Dorset area on Tuesday, June 14, 2022.

Officers from Dorset Police and Hampshire Constabulary took part in the raids as part of Operation Hardware.

During the warrants, suspected stolen machinery, cash and other property was recovered with an approximate value of around £500,000.

Operation Hardware was an intelligence led operation, created following a report of a suspicious incident in Hampshire that identified a vehicle as stolen from London, leading to warrants being carried out at addresses linked to the insured driver.

Following an extensive and detailed investigation, a 23-year-old man, from East Dorset, has been issued with a postal requisition to appear at Weymouth Magistrates’ Court on October 2 over 16 counts of handling stolen goods.

An 84-year-old man from East Dorset who was also previously arrested in connection with the investigation has been released without charge and will face no further police action.