Shameless shoplifters jailed for stealing £200,000 of goods in 120 offences after being caught on CCTV
12 November 2024, 16:24
Shoplifters jailed after being caught on CCTV
Three brazen shoplifters have been sent to prison after stealing £200,000 of goods in over 100 separate thefts, after they were caught on camera.
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Laura Miron, 27, was given three years and three months in prison, Oviliv Firan, 38 was jailed for three and a half years, and Nicolae Boia was sentenced to two years and 11 months.
The trio, all from the west London suburbs, committed 120 offences in large supermarkets, stealing razors, alcohol, fragrances, and beauty and electrical goods. In one instance they stole champagne worth £4,500.
Police think the trio were part of a much larger gang.
They targeted shops across an areas spanning hundreds of miles, from Surrey, Dorset and Hampshire in the south, Bristol in the west, Gillingham in the east and Lancashire towns in the north-west.
Read more: 'I was held at knifepoint': One in six shopworkers assaulted by customers
Their method, as seen in CCTV footage, shows the trio working together, with two taking the goods and one acting as a lookout.
They would then sometimes walk out without paying, or make a small purchase at self-checkout.
The trio committed 11 offences in Surrey, and police from the county managed to investigate and charge them with 120 offences across the country. All three pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal.
Police worked with Tesco to wade through hours of CCTV footage, and with Opal, the National Police Chief's Council's intelligence unit focused on serious organised acquisitive crime.
Surrey Police Inspector Chris Thoday said: “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.
“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.”
Stephanie Coombes, Head of Intelligence at Opal, said: “This is a fantastic result which really shows the value of our work at Opal in partnership with police forces and retailers.
"Since we began taking intelligence reports in May 2024, we’ve seen a number of success stories just like this one, where organised groups are targeting multiple locations in the expectation that then they’re less likely to be identified.
"By centralising intelligence from retailers and police forces, we’re able to build a comprehensive picture of offending which means there is quite literally nowhere for offenders to hide.
"I’d like to thank Surrey Police for taking on this case and for their hard work in progressing the investigation and ensuring these harmful offenders are brought to justice.”
