Three men have been jailed after police caught them tunnelling into a jewellers in south London, ending an organised crime group's spree that netted more than £700,000 in stolen goods.
Metropolitan Police Flying Squad officers arrested two suspects near a tunnel in Tooting in the early hours of July 17, after reports of a burglary at a jewellers. The men had knocked through a wall from a neighbouring massage parlour to gain access. A third suspect was later detained at Stansted Airport attempting to flee the country.
Caught in the Act
Body-worn footage shows officers swooping on two thieves, with one ordered to stop as a taser is aimed at him in an alley, and another spotted on a roof and handcuffed after climbing down. Tools used to break through the wall were found at the scene.
Ioan Asaefti, 39, Laurentiu-Daniel Nitisoara, 38, and Sergiu Plastin, 42, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary with intent to steal and cause criminal damage at Kingston Crown Court. On Friday, Asafeti was sentenced to four years, Plastin to three years, and Nitisoara to two years.
Wider Investigation
The court heard the trio were part of an organised crime group that burgled properties overnight, bypassing security and tunnelling into premises to steal valuables between May and July. Detectives believe the burglaries may have extended to Europe.
Following the arrests, Flying Squad detectives identified a car linked to the group and used mobile phone data to track down Plastin, arresting him at Stansted as he tried to fly to Ireland. CCTV evidence showed members obtaining tools and equipment used in the offences.
Detective Superintendent Dan Mitchell, of the Met's Flying Squad, said: 'These criminals dug their own hole after emergency response officers caught them red-handed. Their arrests didn't just stop this burglary. They formed part of a wider Flying Squad investigation that uncovered an organised crime group linked to a string of jewellery shop break-ins across London worth more than £700,000.'
He added: 'We're driving down commercial burglary across the capital, with offences falling by 12 per cent in the past year. Our message to these criminals is clear: target London businesses and we'll hunt you down and put you before the courts.'
Police Statement
A Met police statement said: 'The Met remains committed to tackling burglary across the capital and keeping Londoners safe. Commercial burglary offences fell by 12.1 per cent in the 12 months ending July, compared with the previous 12 months. The Met has also put hundreds more officers on the frontlines of community crime-fighting teams, upping visible patrols in the right 'hot spots' so they can catch criminals.'
