A shoplifting gang responsible for an astonishing crime spree covering hundreds of miles and 47 branches of the same supermarket chain have been caught in Norfolk.
The group of Romanians used foil-lined bags to walk off with at least £65,000 worth of goods from Morrisons outlets across England and Wales.
They were stopped by staff as they tried to steal another £40,000 worth of items but were able to escape.
They were finally arrested in Dereham, as they tried to raid the Station Road store. Earlier in the same day they had targeted the Fakenham branch.
Two members of the gang - Robert-claudiu Alexe, 24, and Elena-brindusa Efta, 35- appeared at Norwich Crown Court today, when they were jailed.
The court was told the full value of the massive haul they were involved in stealing may never be known.
Items they targeted included goods they could sell on quickly for big profits including alcohol, cosmetics, make-up, hygiene products such as razor blades and electric toothbrush heads, Nicorette patches, ink cartridges and batteries.
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Prosecutor Matthew Edwards said it had been a “sophisticated and organised” operation that extended well beyond Norfolk.
He said the gang had struck on at least 47 occasions in 26 separate counties from the north west and Yorkshire to the Midlands, Wales and south west.
Other Morrisons stores where they stripped shelves bare of some items included branches in Sheffield, Halifax, Skipton, Lincoln, Scunthorpe, Leyland in Lancashire, Keighley in West Yorkshire and Cwmbran in Wales.
After an eight-month crime spree that started in October 2022 came to an end in Norfolk on May 2 when a security guard at the Fakenham store noticed a large amount of printer ink had gone missing.
Using CCTV footage he was able to identify the suspects and warn the Dereham store the offenders would likely target them next.
Mr Edwards said the identities of two other gang members were known but they had evaded arrest and are still at large.
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The court wasn’t told why the gang specifically chose to target Morrisons - whose slogan is "More Reasons to Shop at Morrisons" - but their operation got so serious that the supermarket chain had been forced to increase security at stores across the country in a bid to foil them.
It also launched its own major investigation to catch them at the cost of more than £22,000.
When he was arrested Alexe, from Coventry, was found to have confectionary, pharmaceuticals, beard trimmers, chewing gum, wipes, and batteries worth more than £12,000 in his home and car.
He admitted 18 charges of theft, going equipped to steal and possession of criminally obtained goods.
The court was told he had previous convictions of theft in Germany and Denmark.
READ MORE: Prolific Norwich shoplifter jailed for dozens of offences
Efta, 35, from Northampton, pleaded guilty to 16 counts of theft and going equipped to steal.
Emma Kutner, for Efta, said she was a single mother with a seven-year-old son in Romania who had come to the UK last year hoping to seek work but “financial desperation” after failing to find a job had seen her lured into crime.
Mizan Abdulrouf, for Alexe, said he had worked in an Amazon warehouse until losing his job during the pandemic.
“He has done something very stupid that he regrets and he is very remorseful,” he added.
Recorder John Bate-Williams jailed Alexe for 27 months and Efta for 18 months telling them their actions had caused distress to staff and customers and large financial losses and reputational damage to Morrisons.
“You two Romanian nationals were part of a gang comprising at least four members who all participated in a large-scale criminal enterprise in which Morrisons supermarkets were targeted all over England and in Wales,” he said.
“Goods with substantial values were stolen with careful planning using what seems to have been a kind of distraction technique and foil-lined bags to reduce the risk of detection.
“It’s clear that you targeted particular items on the basis that they were going to be straightforward to dispose of and distribute to willing customers.”
Following their sentencing Norfolk police's Operation Converter supervisor Duncan Etchells said: “They were first identified as being active in October 2022 and spent months travelling around the UK working together to steal from Morrisons.
“Their operation unravelled after they were stopped by store security in Norfolk. Following extensive research by PC Luke Brown and Rachel Gillett of Morrisons analysing CCTV and closely plotting their movements we have been able to bring these people to justice for all their offending.”
Morrisons declined to comment.
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