Met officers break up keyless car theft gang

A proactive investigation launched by officers in North London uncovered a sophisticated organised crime network using a keyless theft device disguised as a 'Gameboy'.

Cars were stolen from Barnet, Enfield, Haringey, Redbridge, Waltham Forest, Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Newham using the device that allowed them to quickly open the targeted vehicles and start them. The thefts could take seconds and looked no different from a person opening the car with a key.

Through data analysis and intelligence, officers discovered £2 million worth of cars had been stolen by the group between October 2018 and December 2022.

Five men were sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday, 27 September for a range of vehicle theft offences. The group were sentenced to a total of 13 years and five months between them.

Detective Constable Dave Van Der Valk, from the Met’s Specialist Crime North team who led the investigation, said: “Thanks to the hard work and perseverance of highly skilled officers in the Met, we have been able to disrupt a sophisticated crime operation.

“There were two layers of victims in this case - those who had their cars stolen and those who bought the stolen cars. Those who bought the stolen cars without realising were truly the most affected as they did not receive any compensation from insurance companies which meant there were 170 victims affected by the heartless behaviour of the group.

“This verdict, and lengthy two-year investigation that led to it, demonstrate that we’ll leave no stone unturned in our pursuit to catch criminals who look to enjoy the proceeds of illicit funds – no matter how complex the case.”  

The investigation into the group first began in January 2022 when officers discovered that a series of car thefts in North London were linked.

Working closely with other specialist officers in the Met and the DVLA, officers were able to uncover the identities of the individuals involved. They then executed 20 warrants in February 2023.

Evidence was gathered with the help of police services around the UK - with vehicles being recovered as far afield as Scotland and Wales - and the true extent of the offending that had taken place was uncovered.

This led to the identification of Alfie Brown, 31 (07.09.93), of Aberdeen Road, Edmonton, and Andre Clarke, 33 (28.02.91), of Beehive Road, EN7, as lead figures of the network along with another man, with each of them involved in the theft, cloning or sale of each vehicle.

In May 2021, Brown and Clarke were linked to the theft of a Volvo in the Chigwell area. The vehicle was stolen while the owner’s three-year-old-child was still inside. When the pair realised what they had done they came to a sudden stop which left the child with minor injuries. They subsequently abandoned the car with the child still inside.

Officer’s established that the purchasers would meet Brown or Clarke when purchasing the vehicles and pretended to be car dealers, even providing fake invoices and service history documents. These sales also uncovered the extensive network of money launderers used by the group.

Through extensive financial analysis officers found that Clarke even set up a business account called ‘ACC Motors LTD’ to receive payments from victims or launderers.

David Burvill, 36 (10.09.88), of Eastwood Rise, Leigh-on-Sea, and Mark Preece, 30 (10.06.94), of Shakespeare Road, Romford, then assisted the group by laundering £78,000 from the sale of the stolen cars.

The group were able to evade detection for so long by successfully cloning number plates and vehicle log documents, committing fraud against the DVLA, which made the selling of the vehicles appear even more legitimate. The clones were convincing enough that the group were even able to sell the vehicles to car dealers.

Marcin Gorecki, 40 (11.01.84), of Eleanor Way, Waltham Cross, who was employed at British Car Auction was found to be the networks longest launderer. He assisted in selling a Jaguar which had been exchanged for a stolen vehicle with cloned plates to a car dealership in Essex in 2019.

If looking to take part in a private vehicle sale there are numerous ways in which to reduce or remove the risk of purchasing a stolen vehicle:

- Meeting at public locations i.e. Car Dealerships. If you have any concerns about the vehicle, staff at these locations can assist or provide advice.

- Check the electronic VIN stored on the infotainment unit or by using OBD diagnostic kits. These cannot be changed without replacing the unit. Staff car dealerships would be able to assist with this.

- Purchasers should ask Sellers to provide photo ID (record it), there is no reason this would be of concern in a legitimate sale.

- Never pay in cash, there are no legitimate reasons sellers should insist on this method of payment. If the vehicle was advertised through a selling website then payment should be made through the site as they provide customer protection. It should be of concern if a seller insists on payment directly to an account provided. In other situations, ensure the account receiving payment matches the photo ID provided.

- Purchasers should still check the V5 document, VIN numbers and conduct HPI checks.

This investigation demonstrates the work being undertaken by officers and staff, who are using innovative technology to tackle criminal activity linked to serious and organised crime as the Met builds A New Met for London. 

+ On Friday, 27 September at Snaresbrook Crown Court:

- Alfie Brown, 31 (07.09.93), of Aberdeen Road, Edmonton, was sentenced to five-and-a-half years for conspiracy to steal a motor vehicle and conspiracy to possess/ acquire criminal property between October 2018 – December 2022.
- Andre Clarke, 33 (28.02.91), of Beehive Road, Waltham Cross, was sentenced to four years and three months for conspiracy to steal a motor vehicle and conspiracy to possess/ acquire criminal property between October 2018 – December 2022.
- Marcin Gorecki, 40 (11.01.84), of Eleanor Way, Waltham Cross, was given a two year suspended sentence for conspiracy to possess/ acquire criminal property between October 2018 – December 2022.
- Mark Preece, 30 (10.06.94), of Shakespeare Road, Romford, was given a nine month sentence suspended for 12 months, for conspiracy to possess/ acquire criminal property between October 2018 – December 2022.
- David Burvill, 36 (10.09.88), of Eastwood Rise, Leigh-on-Sea, was given an 11 month sentence suspended for 15 months, for conspiracy to possess/ acquire criminal property between October 2018 – December 2022.