Men admit trying to tunnel into south London jewellery shop
BBC News reports that three men have admitted conspiracy to commit burglary after attempting to tunnel into a jewellery shop in Tooting, south London, on 17 July 2022.
Ioan Asafeti (39), Laurentiu-Daniel Nitisoara (38), both without a fixed address, and Sergiu Plastin (42) from Portadown, County Armagh, were caught on body-worn camera footage. Police discovered a dug-out hole leading from a neighbouring massage parlour to the jewellery shop, along with tools.
The men were linked to a series of commercial burglaries targeting jewellers across London between May and July, with stolen goods valued at over £700,000. They used tunnelling techniques to bypass security systems.
Det Supt Dan Mitchell commented, "Their arrests didn’t just stop this burglary. They formed part of a wider Flying Squad investigation that uncovered an organised crime group linked to a string of jewellery shop break-ins."
The three men will be sentenced on 23 October 2022 at Kingston Crown Court.
