Gang jailed for foiled Tooting jewellery shop tunnel bid

Three men have been jailed for their part in a foiled jewellery shop burglary in Tooting. Laurentiu-Daniel Nitisoara, Ioan Asafeti, and Sergiu Plastin were sentenced at Kingston Crown Court on 23 October 2026 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary with intent to steal and cause criminal damage. The court heard how the trio attempted to tunnel into a shop on Mitcham Road in the early hours of 17 July 2026.

The foiled attempt

Police were alerted to suspicious activity at 3:12 am on 17 July 2026. Officers arriving at the scene on Mitcham Road found one suspect, Laurentiu-Daniel Nitisoara, 38, in a nearby alleyway. Ioan Asafeti, 39, was discovered hiding on a rooftop. A search of a massage parlour the pair had entered revealed tools and equipment being used to dig a hole through the wall into the adjacent jewellery shop. Body-worn camera footage showed officers rushing to the location shortly after the initial alert.

Following these arrests, detectives identified a vehicle associated with the group. Mobile phone data was used to locate Sergiu Plastin, 42, who was apprehended at Stansted Airport as he attempted to leave the country for Ireland. The three men were later linked to a series of burglaries across London between May and July 2026, primarily targeting jewellers by using tunnelling methods to bypass security systems overnight.

Wider investigation and sentencing

Detective Chief Inspector Craig Magee of the Metropolitan Police’s Flying Squad stated that the sentencing sends a strong message to those who target London businesses. He noted that the arrests were part of a larger Flying Squad investigation that uncovered an organised crime group responsible for jewellery shop break-ins across the capital, with an estimated value exceeding £700,000. Further inquiries through Interpol have suggested potential links to similar criminal activities in Europe.

Asafeti, who has no fixed address, received a sentence of four years and ten months. Plastin, from Portadown, Craigavon in Northern Ireland, was jailed for three years and four months. Nitisoara, also of no fixed address, received a two-year sentence. The Metropolitan Police confirmed their ongoing commitment to combating burglary and enhancing safety for London residents. The force reported that commercial burglaries in the capital had fallen by 10.7 per cent in the 12 months leading up to September 2026, compared to the previous year, with increased visible patrols in identified 'hot spots'.