International organised crime gang jailed after stealing over £200,000 worth of vans
A gang who carried out an international crime spree stealing over £200,000 worth of vans have been jailed.
The four men stole at least 20 Mercedes Sprinter vans from outside people's homes in Nottinghamshire and across the country before shipping them to Romania.
They carried out their crimes over a five month period which came to an end when police raided a lockup in Quarry Farm in Newark in October 2020.
Officers found a “treasure trove” of stolen goods, including Mercedes van engines and axles from an additional nine vans which had been stolen from around the UK in 2019 and 2020 and were due to be shipped abroad.
Cristian Cirpaci, of Rothesay Avenue, Radford, Nottingham, spearheaded the operation alongside Andrius Stasiunas, of Wye Gardens, in which around £100,000 worth of tools and personal items were stolen from inside the vans.
Targeting self-employed contractors with the tools still inside their vehicles, Cirpaci and Stasiunas alongside three other members of the Cirpaci family and another man stole the vans in the middle of the night.
The gang was able to steal the vans without even needing keys and could also block GPS trackers.
Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court (6 September 2021), Christian Cirpaci, 25, was jailed for three years and nine months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to steal motor vehicle.
He was deemed to be one of the main organisers of the conspiracy and rented the lockup at Newark with evidence showing he participated in the theft of at least nine vans.
Technical expert Andrius Stasiunas, 37, another of the main organisers sentenced to four-years in custody after pleading guilty to conspiracy to steal motor vehicle.
Leonardo Cirpaci, 19, of Rothesay Avenue, pleaded guilty to conceal, disguise, convert, transfer or remove criminal property and was sentenced to one year and four months in custody.
Uncle of Cristian, Daniel Cirpaci, 42, of Radford Road, received a 12-month custodial sentence suspended for 18 months and 180 hours of unpaid work after pleading guilty to conceal, disguise, convert, transfer or remove criminal property.
Cousin Stefano Cirpaci, 19, of Radford Road, received an 18-month community order and 100 hours unpaid work after pleading guilty to conceal, disguise, convert, transfer or remove criminal property.
Brother-in-law to Cristian, Alexandru Covaci, 25, also of Rothersay Avenue, was sentenced to one year and four months in custody after he pleaded guilty to conceal, disguise, convert, transfer or remove criminal property.
Detective Constable Richard Doel, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “This was a complex and in-depth investigation which utilised a number of different policing tactics”.
“We welcome these sentences handed down by the court today and hope it gives them all time to reflect on their actions and the impact it had on self-employed people and their businesses, as well as the emotional turmoil caused.”