Men admit trying to tunnel into jewellery shop
Three men have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary after attempting to tunnel into a jewellery shop in London. The group was linked to a series of commercial break-ins across the city involving over £700,000 in stolen goods.
Why it matters
This case highlights the sophisticated methods used by organized crime groups targeting retail businesses and the effectiveness of modern police investigative techniques.
Image source, Metropolitan Police Image caption, (L-R) Sergiu Plastin, Laurentiu-Daniel Nitisoara and Ioan Asafeti
Three men who were caught trying to tunnel into a jewellery shop from a neighbouring massage parlour have admitted conspiracy to commit burglary.
Ioan Asafeti, 39, Laurentiu-Daniel Nitisoara, 38, both of no fixed address, and Sergiu Plastin, 42, of Portadown, County Armagh, were behind the attempted raid on Mitcham Road in Tooting, south London, in the early hours of 17 July.
Kingston Crown Court heard how body-worn camera footage captured Nitisoara being arrested in a nearby alleyway, while Asafeti was found hiding on a rooftop.
Plastin was tracked down using mobile phone data and arrested later that day at Stansted Airport as he tried to board a flight to Ireland.
Police searching the neighbouring massage parlour found a hole being dug through an adjoining wall into the jewellery store, along with bags of tools.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in