International Crime Boss Caught in Surrey Countryside Sting
James Ottomar Mosbacher, 54, a dual German-US national with no fixed address, has been locked up for nine years and six months at Guildford Crown Court. The career criminal was found guilty of a string of offences including money laundering, possessing a genuine Smith & Wesson revolver, military-grade ammo, and forged ID documents.
Raid in Cranleigh Uncovers Cash, Guns, and Fake Passports
Mosbacher was arrested in May 2016 after police stormed a property on Guildford Road, Cranleigh. At the time, he was wanted in Germany for drug import offences and was detained under a European Arrest Warrant. The raid uncovered almost €250,000, over £11,000 in cash, a luxury Range Rover, fake Lithuanian passports, forged UK driving licences, body armour, money-counting machines, and tracking devices.
Cross-Border Chase Ends in Extradition and Guilty Verdicts
While Mosbacher faced drug charges in Germany and received a two-year, four-month sentence, he avoided extradition during Brexit legal wrangling. After fleeing to Lithuania in 2020, authorities arrested him. Following a lengthy extradition battle led by the CPS, Surrey Police, and the National Crime Agency, Mosbacher was returned to the UK just before his European Arrest Warrant expired.
At Guildford Crown Court, he admitted to possessing forged identity documents with intent and was convicted after a two-week trial of:
- Money laundering
- Possession of a prohibited firearm (handgun)
- Possession of military-grade expanding ammunition
- Possessing ammunition without a firearms certificate
Detective Praises International Effort to Nab ‘Untouchable’ Criminal
“Mosbacher can be genuinely described as an ‘International Criminal’ who believed he was untouchable,” said Detective Constable Gordon Krebel of Surrey Police’s Economic Crime Unit.
“He thought hiding out in the Surrey countryside would keep him off the radar, but this complex investigation, in partnership with German authorities and the CPS, ensured justice was served.”
