Men jailed for jewellery shop tunnel burglary plot

Three men who were caught trying to tunnel into a jewellery shop from a neighbouring massage parlour have been jailed for conspiracy to commit burglary.

Ioan Asafeti, 39, Laurentiu-Daniel Nitisoara, 38, both of no fixed address, and Sergiu Plastin, 42, of Portadown, County Armagh, attempted to raid the shop on Mitcham Road in Tooting, south London, in the early hours of 17 July.

Police said their arrests were part of a wider Flying Squad investigation that uncovered an organised crime group linked to a string of jewellery shop break-ins in which goods worth over £700,000 were taken.

The men pleaded guilty in August to conspiracy to commit burglary with intent to steal and cause criminal damage.

On Friday at Kingston Crown Court, Asafeti was jailed for four years and 10 months, Nitisoara was jailed for two years and Plastin was jailed for three years and four months.

The trio were caught after the Met Police received reports of a suspected burglary on Mitcham Road.

Nitisoara and Asafeti had broken into a massage parlour with bags of tools and equipment.

Nitisoara was arrested immediately in a nearby alleyway and Asafeti was found hiding on a rooftop. Plastin was arrested later that day at Stansted Airport as he tried to flee the country.

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