Twelve members of a Romanian gang who committed a string of high-value burglaries in the United Kingdom totaling more than $5.3 million have been sentenced to between three and five years in prison.
The thieves stole rare books, computers, cell phones, and other electrical gadgets in raids on warehouses and freight depots, bypassing alarms by scaling roofs and walls and then flying out of the country while other members in their criminal cartel transported the stolen goods out, Met Police said.
However, four members of the gang flew from Iasi in Romania to Luton and drove to the warehouse where they cut holes in the fence surrounding the warehouse. They also cut holes in the roof to get in and avoid the door sensors, police said. The group spent about five hours in the warehouse and left with 200 books.
The books were recovered following the search of a house by Romanian officers who discovered them buried underground. (Met Police Department)
Authorities said the gang was linked to a number of prominent Romanian families who are part of the Clamparu crime group based in eastern Romania.
“For over two years, this gang commuted from Romania into the UK, targeting warehouses across the country, causing huge financial losses and even forcing some to close as a result,” Metropolitan Police Detective Inspector Andy Durham said. “They gave no consideration to the victims they targeted.”
