More criminals brought to justice in Surrey

A 37-year-old man, of Enfield in London, was jailed for 32 months and two weeks after admitting stealing around £100,000-worth of alcohol from supermarkets across Surrey. The defendant, who was a member of an organised crime group (OCG), pleaded guilty to 19 counts of conspiracy to commit theft.
The OCG travelled up and down the country committing offences. They would enter stores repeatedly, stealing between £500- and £7,000-worth of alcohol at a time.
The defendant acted as a look-out during the thefts. Police in Surrey worked with the heads of security for Tesco and Sainsbury’s, who identified that the defendant had been involved in another 34 offences across the UK. These were taken into consideration when he was sentenced.
While the defendant actively took part in thefts totalling around £100,000, it is believed that the OCG was responsible for thefts totalling almost £500,000.
During a single raid on a Tesco in Ashford, alcohol worth £8,500 was stolen. Stanwell and Reigate branches suffered a £5,000 loss to the group.
The Surrey officer who investigated the thefts said the successful outcome was thanks to the partnership forged between the police team in Staines and managers at Tesco and Sainsbury’s, alongside Op Opal, the national intelligence unit focused on serious organised acquisitive crime.