Gang member who helped steal £34k of alcohol jailed

Alexandru Cercel was part of a gang that targeted supermarkets across the East of England

A man who was part of a shoplifting gang that stole £34,500 worth of champagne and spirits from supermarkets across the East of England has been jailed.

Alexandru Cercel, 39, formerly of Homestead Road, Dagenham, targeted stores including, Tesco, Morrisons, Asda and Sainsbury’s, along with his accomplices, between October 2021 and June 2023.

Alcohol worth up to £3,000 was stolen in each raid, and the gang sometimes returned to the same store up to five times in one day.

During his sentencing at Canterbury Crown Court, Cercel’s shoplifting was described as being on an "industrial" scale and he was jailed for two years.

Norfolk Police said Cercel was arrested at the Port of Dover in July, after trying to leave the country as a wanted man.

Investigations revealed that Cercel and his accomplices had travelled between Cambridge, Ipswich, Basildon, Beccles, Great Yarmouth, Norwich, Diss, Canvey Island and Hertford to carry out a number of thefts.

'Genuine remorse'

Police said that while on remand, and in a bid to "clear his slate", Cercel admitted to a further 26 crimes, after he was shown evidence.

Nine of those offences were committed in Norfolk, and seven in Suffolk – accounting for stolen alcohol worth around £16,000.

During sentencing, the judge said the thefts were likely motivated to fund other criminal activities and that the method used suggested "highly organised and planned offending".

The court heard that Cercel had shown "genuine remorse" and by pleading guilty he saved police forces a “great deal of investigation time”.

Duncan Etchells, supervisor of the Norfolk Operation Converter TIC Unit, which encourages criminals to admit to their crimes, said: "We will always do all we can to bring serious organised criminals such as Cercel to justice.

"By investigating him as we did, a large number of high value retail thefts were put before the court and we welcome this sentence as retail crime on this scale impacts all the customers of the affected stores."

Norfolk Police said another shoplifting gang member, a man in his 20s, from Wembley, was jailed for eight months at Basildon Magistrates Court in March 2023.

He admitted six charges of theft from Asda and Tesco stores across Essex and asked for 15 other offences to be taken into consideration.

The other gang members have not yet been identified, the force added.