Police determine greater than 20 gangs fuelling shoplifting epidemic throughout Britain as East European criminals lead £1.8bn crime spree

A national police unit set up to tackle the scourge of shoplifting across Britain has identified more than 20 gangs and 200 criminals fuelling the epidemic, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

The gangs, many believed to be East European, are responsible for millions of pounds of thefts each year, and are also suspected of human trafficking and exploiting vulnerable individuals.

Operation Opal, an intelligence-gathering unit set up six months ago to uncover the organised criminal groups behind shop thefts, has also identified 61 vehicles the gangs use to move shoplifters and goods around the country.

The unit’s evidence has already led to dozens of arrests, with some persistent thieves put behind bars and deported back to countries such as Romania.

Police chiefs believe that Opal is finally turning the tide on shoplifting, which is costing retailers £1.8 billion per year.

One source said detectives have uncovered how the gangs are taking part in human trafficking by bringing individuals into Britain in order to steal from shops.

Opal is believed to have uncovered 23 prolific gangs who have stolen more than £3.5 million of goods in less than six months. But thanks to painstaking reviews of CCTV footage and other evidence gathered by detectives, about 70 members from the 23 crime groups have been arrested.

Officers have also created profiles of 200 shoplifters who are either persistent thieves or possible members of more gangs. Sources have revealed that Opal’s investigations have led to more than 21 seizures of stolen goods, as well as vehicles used for thefts.

Romanian shoplifter Alexandru-Iulian Dima, 25. Eastern European gangs are responsible for millions of pounds of thefts each year

Dima stole more than £60,000 worth of goods from Boots stores, and was arrested by police as he was about to carry out a theft at a shop in Pontypridd

Last week, as Ministers vowed to end the shoplifting epidemic in Britain, the Home Office granted Opal £5 million to increase its operations. Until now, the scheme was funded by £1 million from 15 of Britain’s biggest retailers.

Under a deal agreed between police chiefs and retailing giants such as Tesco, Morrisons and John Lewis, CCTV from their stores and body-worn cameras of their security guards are sent to the Opal team for analysis.

Detectives then sift through the videos using cutting-edge facial recognition technology. They also assess testimonies from security guards and retail staff to create a ‘shoplifting map’ of the UK. Their analysis has led to entire gangs being identified and arrested.

A recent success has been the sentencing of three members of a gang that stole £200,000 of goods, including £4,500 of champagne in one spree. Oviliv Firan, 38, Nicolae Boia, 30, and Laura Miron, 27, all believed to be Eastern European, were responsible for 100 shoplifting offences from Tesco stores across the country.

They stole goods ranging from electrical products, fragrances, cosmetics and alcohol.

Surrey Police, which led the investigation, released CCTV of Boia brazenly stuffing goods in a sports bag, while hiding behind a trolley, and then walking off with the products as Miron kept watch.

At Chelmsford Crown Court, Firan, from Hounslow, west London, was jailed for three-and-half years, and Miron, from nearby Feltham, was sentenced to three years and three months. Boia, also from Hounslow, received two years and 11 months.

The moment Dima was arrested Dima, having chased him out of the store into a car park

Another success of Opal was the arrest of Romanian thief Alexandru-Iulian Dima, 25, who stole more than £60,000 worth of goods from Boots stores. He was about to steal from a Boots in Pontypridd when South Wales Police arrested him, having chased him out of the store into a car park. They had received intelligence he was arriving in their town to steal.

Dima was jailed for four years at Cardiff Crown Court in August, and ordered to be deported back to Romania after his prison term.

Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne said: ‘Over 200 criminals, many previously unknown to police, and 23 gangs have been identified in the first six months in this groundbreaking collaboration between retailers and police.

‘With £5 million of government support now pledged, we can target even more gangs.’