Tunnel-digging gang jailed for combined ten years after Met foils jewellery heist

Thieves who were caught by Met officers attempting to tunnel their way into a jewellery shop in south London have been sentenced to a combined ten years and two months’ imprisonment.

It follows an investigation that linked the organised crime group to a series of burglaries worth more than £700,000.

Body-worn video captures emergency response officers arriving within minutes of reports of a suspected burglary on Mitcham Road, Tooting, at 03:12hrs on Friday, 17 July.

One suspect, Laurentiu-Daniel Nitisoara, is arrested immediately in a nearby alleyway. Following a search of the area, officers track down a second man, Ioan Asafeti, hiding on a rooftop and put him in handcuffs.

Officers then search a massage parlour the pair had broken into and uncover their plan to tunnel through a wall into the neighbouring jewellery shop. They also find bags of tools and equipment being used to dig the hole.

Officers arrested a third member of the group, Sergiu Plastin, later that day, as he tried to flee the country.

The investigation, led by the Met's Flying Squad, linked the group to several burglaries across the capital between May and July. The men mainly targeted jewellers, using tunnelling techniques to gain access to shops overnight while bypassing security systems.

Detective Chief Inspector Craig Magee, from the Met’s Flying Squad, said:

“Today’s sentencing sends a clear message: if you target London businesses, we’ll catch you, and you will face justice.

“Our crackdown on thieves is delivering results. We're driving down commercial burglary across the capital, with offences falling by 11 per cent in the past 12 months.

“The arrests of these three thieves 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.”

On Friday, 23 October, the men were sentenced at Kingston Crown Court after pleading guilty in August to conspiracy to commit burglary with intent to steal and cause criminal damage:

• Ioan Asafeti, 39 (18.06.87), of no fixed address, jailed for four years and ten months.

• Sergiu Plastin, 42 (18.03.84) of Portadown, Craigavon, jailed for three years and four months.

• Laurentiu-Daniel Nitisoara, 38 (07.11.87), of no fixed address, jailed for two years.

The Met remains committed to tackling burglary across the capital and keeping Londoners safe. Commercial burglary offences fell by 10.7 per cent in the last 12 months to September, 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.

Following the arrests of Asafeti and Nitisoara, Flying Squad detectives identified a car linked to the group and used mobile phone data to track down Plastin. Officers arrested Plastin at Stansted Airport as he tried to flee to Ireland.

Detectives gathered extensive CCTV footage showing members of the group obtaining tools and other equipment used in the offences.

Further enquiries through Interpol revealed the group had possible links to similar offences in Europe.

NOTES TO EDITOR:

Video of arrests can be found here:

https://mps.box.com/s/wtccy8dzisgr13i6iukjmc1btcspgacd

• Body-worn video footage of officers arresting Nitisoara and Asafeti outside jewellery shop.

• Body-worn video footage of officers arresting Plastin at Stansted Airport.

• Mugshots of Asafeti, Nitisoara, and Plastin.