How organised crime gang stole £18k worth of supermarket alcohol across East of England

A man has been jailed for working as part of an organised gang - travelling across counties to steal more than £18,000 worth of alcohol from supermarkets.

Laurentiu Stroe, 23, was part of a group who filled trolleys with bottles of spirits and Champagne - with police revealing how they were able to make off with so much booze.

Members of the gang would take the laden trolleys to a quiet aisle of the store, where they would work to remove their security tags.

They would then make multiple trips to carry them out, concealing the bottles in various ways.

Stroe was caught in the act and arrested by Essex Police for six high value thefts between last October and February this year.

He admitted 15 other thefts at large supermarkets in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Kent and Hertfordshire.

In total, he admitted to stealing over £18,000 worth of alcohol.

Stroe was sentenced to eight months in prison at Basildon Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

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