This is the moment three mad thieves crammed Tesco groceries into rucksacks in front of shoppers.

Shocking CCTV footage shows the trio’s orchestrated theft as they protect each other’s criminal acts and steal dozens of items from supermarket shelves.

Fraudsters targeted high-value items including champagne, razors, alcohol, perfumes and beauty and electrical products in a crime spree which included more than 100 offenses and turned out to have cost almost £200,000 – although the true value is believed to be much higher. .

Nicolae Boia, 30, Laura Miron, 27, and Oviliv Firan, 38, allegedly worked as a team to take and hide items from Tesco shelves – before either leaving the store without paying or head to auto-checkout to make a small token purchase.

Video of one theft shows him carrying a cart in front of another to block the view from the aisle, while the second, Boia, removed items from shelves into a backpack.

Shocking CCTV footage shows the trio’s orchestrated theft as they protect each other’s criminal acts and steal dozens of items from supermarket shelves.

Fraudsters targeted high-value items including champagne, razors, alcohol, perfumes and beauty and electrical products in a crime spree which included more than 100 offenses and turned out to have cost almost £200,000 – although the true value is believed to be much higher.

His accomplices Miron and Firan then acted as lookouts, with Miron eventually switching baskets with Boia – all three continuing to shop while acting as if they didn’t know each other.

The trio – believed to be part of a much larger organized crime gang – are believed to be responsible for more than 100 crimes targeting major supermarkets – mainly stealing razors, alcohol, perfumes, beauty products and electrical products.

In their highest-value heist, they stole bottles of champagne – bringing the value of a single sighting to more than £4,500.

They were so bold in their offending that in some cases they simply changed their clothes before returning to the same shop to commit further offences.

Crimes linked to the group have been linked to several locations criss-crossing the country – from Poole and Portsmouth in the south and Chorley and Wigan in the north to Bristol in the west and Gillingham in the east.

Surrey Police’s investigation began when information was passed on by Opal – the National Police Chief’s Council’s intelligence unit focused on serious organized crime.

Officers worked in partnership with Tesco to go through hours of CCTV footage and traced 11 theft offenses across Surrey.

Video of one heist shows them wheeling one stroller in front of another to block the view from the aisle.

Boia could be seen taking items off the shelves into a rucksack before hoisting them onto his back and walking away.

Miron eventually switched baskets with Boia – all three of them continuing to shop while acting as if they didn’t know each other.

They then successfully linked the perpetrators to 120 crimes across the country – proving the more significant offense of “organised conspiracy”.

Miron, Firan and Boia are understood to have been part of a larger organized crime gang responsible for around 800 crimes in the UK – but police believe they have ceased to operate since the arrests.

In their sentencing at Chelmsford Crown Court on Friday (November 8), Miron, of Feltham, was jailed for three years and three months.

Firan, from Hounslow, was jailed for three and six months and Boia, also from Hounslow, was jailed for two years and 11 months.

All three previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal at Guildford Crown Court on October 28.

The three defendants were key figures in a much larger organized crime gang responsible for about 800 crimes across the country, police said.

Police believe the entire gang has ceased operations since these arrests.

Surrey Police Inspector Chris Thoday said: “This result is down to the team’s hard work and determination to ensure that Miron, Firan and Boia pay the full penalty for their extensive and organized crime not just in Surrey but across the whole country.

“Shoplifting is a crime that can be seen as ‘victimless,’ but for shop workers and law-abiding people who work hard to pay their way, it is a painful, unjust and sometimes frightening, they can often feel helpless. to prevent

“I hope this result demonstrates that Surrey Police take retail theft very seriously.

“We are grateful for the meticulous work of Tesco’s crime and intelligence team and the support provided by Opal.

“This case shows how strong we can be when we work together and we will continue to do so to tackle retail theft in Surrey.”