Thief nabbed after £6,000 booze heist spree across Kent and beyond
Crime spree hits Tesco and supermarkets across southeast
Alexandru Cercel, 39, has been locked up for stealing nearly £6,000 worth of alcohol during a two-year crime rampage. The serial shoplifter hit multiple stores, including a Tesco in Maidstone, as part of a gang targeting high-value spirits across Kent, Essex, and Hertfordshire.
Eight strikes in one day and daring ferry arrest
In a brazen move, Cercel struck a Cambridge supermarket eight times in a single day, making off with more than £1,000 of spirits. His latest theft happened on 13 June 2023 when he and two mates swiped eight bottles worth £300 from a store in Farleigh Hill, Maidstone.
Police tracked him down at Dover port on 1 July 2023 after discovering he was about to flee to France by ferry. He was arrested while waiting in the queue to board, smashing his alibi of a short holiday visiting family in the UK.
Two years behind bars for booze bandit
At Maidstone Crown Court, Cercel pleaded guilty to seven theft charges, with 24 more offences taken into account. The Dagenham resident was sentenced on 17 November to two years in prison.
PC Katie Blowers from Maidstone Victim Based Crime Team said: “When Cercel was arrested at the Port of Dover he claimed he had only been in the country two weeks on holiday, visiting family and friends, and was simply travelling back home to Romania. The reality was very different. He was part of an organised criminal gang which relentlessly targeted shops to steal as much high-value alcohol as possible.”
“It is also likely that this case is the tip of an iceberg in terms of other possible offences involving Cercel. It is reassuring, therefore, to see the courts supporting our efforts to protect retailers by passing a significant custodial sentence.”
