Yahoo News West London gang steals nearly £200k worth of goods from Tesco
A West London gang of three shoplifters stole nearly £200,000 worth of goods from Tesco. The trio were sentenced for conspiracy to steal on Friday, November 8, at Chelmsford Crown Court for their 'brazen' crimes.
Laura Miron, 27, of Feltham, was sentenced to three years and three months in prison, Oviliv Firan, 38, of Hounslow, was sentenced to three and half years in prison, and Nicolae Boia, 30, of Hounslow, was sentenced to two years and 11 months in prison.
The group of thieves are believed to be responsible for over 100 crimes targeting large supermarkets. They stole goods including razors, alcohol and fragrances.
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Their highest value theft was a £4,500 champagne heist. They have stolen a total amount of £200,000 of goods, although this is thought to be significantly higher in reality.
The group was part of a much larger organised crime gang responsible for around 800 offences across the country, which police believe has stopped operating since the arrests. Officers were able to prove the greater crime of organised conspiracy, with all three suspects convicted of 120 offences across the country, including Surrey, Poole, Portsmouth, Bristol, Gillingham, Chorley and Wigan.
Working as a team, one gang member would act as a lookout while others would hide the items before leaving without paying or paying for a small token item at self-checkout. The gang would even change their clothes before returning to the same store to commit follow-up crimes.
“This result is down to the hard work and determination of the team to ensure Miron, Firan and Boia paid the full penalty for their extensive and organised offending not just in Surrey but across the country,” said Surrey Police Inspector Chris Thoday.
“Theft from shops is a crime that may be seen to be ‘victimless’ but, for shop workers and law-abiding people who work hard to pay their way, it is a painful, unfair, and sometimes frightening crime they can often feel powerless to prevent. I hope this result demonstrates Surrey Police takes retail theft very seriously.
“We are grateful for the meticulous work of Tesco’s crime and intelligence team and for the support from Opal. This case demonstrates how powerful we can be when we work together and we will continue doing so to tackle retail theft in Surrey.”
Got a story? Please get in touch at katherine.gray@reachplc.com.
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