A nationwide crackdown led by Operation Opal, the national intelligence unit tackling organised retail crime, has resulted in the conviction of three high-harm repeat retail crime offenders who stole an estimated £95,000 worth of goods from supermarkets across England and Wales.
Since Opal’s organised retail crime team launched in May last year, it has secured 33 custodial sentences totaling over 39 years, underscoring its commitment to dismantling organised retail crime networks targeting UK retailers.
Among them, Andrei-Theodor Cretu, 27, was sentenced to 12 months in prison after pleading guilty to 15 counts of attempted theft, The Times stated in a report.
Cretu, described as a “spotter”. targeted 15 Morrisons stores over two years, focusing on high-value items like face creams, nicotine pouches, and electric toothbrushes.
The court heard how Cretu operated with precision, often concealing stolen goods in reusable bags, handing them off to accomplices, or abandoning trolleys of merchandise upon spotting security guards.
Surveillance footage captured him bypassing self-service tills without scanning items and walking out with loaded shopping bags.
The operation’s breakthrough came when PC Elijah Hartley of Humberside Police intercepted Cretu’s hire car in August last year, packed with stolen goods, including razor blades, nappies, and printer ink cartridges.
Passenger Elena Gugulan, 31, was also arrested and later sentenced to 40 months in prison for 31 shoplifting offences. She will be deported at the end of her term.
In court, Cretu claimed he came to the UK to work legally but fell into financial hardship post-Brexit, resorting to shoplifting under the direction of gang leader Florian Dronea, who was deported earlier this year.
Operation Opal, which has now apprehended 313 offenders responsible for £8 million in losses, praised Humberside Police for their role in the investigation.
Stephanie Coombes, head of intelligence at Opal, said, “This has been a complex and far-reaching investigation. Intelligence sharing allowed us to map out offending across 19 police force areas, leading to significant sentences and the removal of three prolific offenders causing major financial harm to retailers.”
