Ion Cojocaru and Iulian Doltu, both of Dagenham, have been remanded in custody after Kent Police linked nine alleged farm GPS thefts across six districts to a single crime series.
Ion Cojocaru, 33, and Iulian Doltu, 27, both Romanian nationals of Honour Gardens, Dagenham, have been charged with conspiracy to steal GPS navigation systems from agricultural machinery. They were remanded in custody at Medway Magistrates’ Court on 19 August 2026 and are due to appear at Canterbury Crown Court on 14 September 2026.
Kent Police’s Rural Task Force had been tracking a pattern of alleged thefts from farms across Canterbury, Folkestone, Romney Marsh, Maidstone, Sheppey and Thanet during July and August 2026. Nine farms were reported to have been targeted by alleged GPS thieves. Stolen equipment had an estimated total cost of over £170,000 — GPS units allegedly stripped from tractors and other agricultural machinery across half the county.
The break came at 1.55am on 16 August, when officers brought a vehicle to a tactical stop after it exited the Dartford Tunnel on the Essex side, having been pursued by Kent Police officers. Two men were arrested and GPS equipment seized. Further enquiries at a Dagenham address turned up another unit and led to two more arrests. Those men — aged 21 and 30 — have been bailed while investigations continue, including into possible linked offences outside Kent.
Alan Clifton-Holt, a Kent farmer and NFU Kent Council representative, called it a “really positive” result and a “major win”. He was blunt about what rural crime actually means in practice: emotional strain on farming families, disruption to food production, and a relentless year-round problem that runs from machinery theft and hare coursing to fly-tipping and organised criminal activity. The NFU has consistently called for stronger legislation to protect farmers and rural communities, including those across the East. Results like this, Clifton-Holt said, send a clear message to offenders.
These systems aren’t cheap, and losing one mid-harvest isn’t a minor inconvenience. Police Sergeant Ross Haybourne of the Rural Task Force said that certain offences tend to climb as autumn evenings draw in, adding that rural crime is a year-round priority for Kent Police.
Key information
- Remove GPS units from vehicles when not in use and move machinery to locked barns or secure locations where possible.
- Record serial numbers and mark GPS equipment to help police identify and return stolen property.
- Anyone with information about rural crime in Kent can contact Kent Police.