£800k courier gang plundered TVs and laptops in fake label scam
They roped in some of their parents to accept the stolen goods before they were sold on Facebook and eBay
A crooked courier crime gang swiped more than £800,000-worth of computers, TVs and other valuables - and even roped some of their parents into the big-money scam.
Eight people, including six from Birmingham, were sentenced to a total of nearly 30 years in prison for conspiring to steal, while three other alleged accomplices fled to Romania during a trial and remain on the run.
Five men working at a parcel courier in Kingsbury, near Tamworth, conspired to steal high-value items sent through the company, including computers, TVs and electric bikes, between September 2022 and February 2023.
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They put delivery labels over parcels at the company’s hub to re-route them to addresses under their control.
A partner of one of the defendants and the parents of another bought the new labels and allowed their addresses to be used to receive the items.
The items, with an estimated total value of £820,605.55 were then sold on websites such as Facebook Marketplace and eBay, with others found packaged up to be sent to Romania.
A small amount of stolen property was recovered during the investigation from some of the defendants’ addresses, along with more than £37,000 in cash.
Pictures from a Warwickshire Police raid showed boxes filled with new goods including laptops and trainers.
Police investigators said alarm bells rang after a high number of claims were made by business customers of the courier company about items not being delivered.
The company investigated and discovered the scam, intercepting a few parcels which had been over-labelled. Eleven addresses were identified which were linked to those involved.
Gang members jailed
Seven of the defendants were sentenced at Warwick Crown Court on December 23 last year and the remaining one was sentenced on Wednesday, March 2.
They were sentenced as follows:
- Marius Marin, aged 22 of Palace Road, Birmingham. Conspiracy to steal, sentenced to six years.
- Angelica Stan, aged 26 of Eastfield Road, Birmingham. Conspiracy to steal, sentenced to six years.
- Toma Radu, aged 24 of Tewkesbury Street, Leicester. Conspiracy to steal, sentenced to five years and six months.
- Andre Nenicioiu, aged 24 of Fullbrook Grove, Birmingham. Conspiracy to steal, sentenced to five years and two months.
- Giorcaev Radu, aged 26 of Eastfield Green, Birmingham. Conspiracy to steal, sentenced to three years and nine months.
- Adrian Nenicioiu, aged 50 of Fullbrook Grove, Birmingham. Conspiracy to steal, sentenced to two years and four months.
- Rodica Nenicioiu, aged 45 of Fullbrook Grove, Birmingham. Possession of criminal property. Sentenced to 10 months, suspended for 18 months.
- Isac Dinu, aged 23 of Fairfield Street, Leicester. Conspiracy to Steal. Sentenced to two years and nine months.
Three defendants – Marius Marin, Toma Radu and Giorcaev Radu fled to Romania during their trial and remain on the run.
Det Con Alison Roberts, from Warwickshire Police's Fraud Investigation Team, said: “This group may have thought they were acting under the radar using their ‘sophisticated’ plan to over-label items, but unfortunately for them, we were able to investigate their actions and they will now spend time in prison.
“This has been a long and complex investigation, and I’d like to thank those involved in order to get this case before the courts.”