Pair behind ‘relentless’ spate of car thefts jailed
A PAIR of criminals have been jailed after they unwittingly sold more than £100,000 of stolen cars to undercover police officers.
Dean Cronin, 41, and Daniel Gordon, 28, both from Cardiff, were working at the top level of a criminal network and were behind a campaign that saw luxury cars stolen from driveways. Houses were being burgled for car keys and vehicles were being driven away while their owners slept upstairs.
But on several occasions the buyers of the cars were undercover police officers who were building up a catalogue of evidence during a six-month sting operation codenamed Red Anvil.
Between June and November 2016, Cronin and Gordon sold vehicles worth £110,000 to officers for just under £5,400 – including a 2014 plate Mercedes GLA, worth £31,000, for just £1,200.
The vehicles were stolen from across south Wales, including Penarth, Cathays, Llanishen and Caerphilly.
Officers were even offered two vehicles – a Nissan Juke and an Audi A3 – before the crime had been reported to the police, after they were both stolen from the same Penarth driveway.
The operation came to an end when Cronin and Gordon were arrested on January 3 in a pre-planned operation.
The pair pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to handle stolen goods at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on January 4. Dean Cronin was sentenced to three and a half years and Daniel Gordon was sentenced to 20 months at Cardiff Crown Court yesterday.
South Wales Police Detective Inspector Dean Taylor, said: “Dean Cronin and Daniel Gordon headed up an organised crime group which was behind a relentless campaign of crimes across the region.
“They created the market for stolen vehicles and in doing so they inflicted misery and the trauma of being the victim of a burglary upon lots of people.
“The cars which they sold on would have been stripped down for parts or cloned which means they would continue life on our roads as unregistered, illegal and therefore unsafe vehicles.
“Both these individuals deserve their time in prison, and I would like to provide my assurances that extensive investigations are ongoing to secure convictions for the burglaries which fuelled their illegal operation.”
Following sentencing, South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Alun Michael said: “Reducing crime is the prime purpose of policing and one of our key priorities is to keep people safe in their homes and communities.
“This case demonstrates the lengths that police officers go to in order to tackle crime and bring offenders to justice.
“The officers were relentless in their pursuit of these criminals and I commend their actions on behalf of the victims, who can take some comfort knowing that the individuals who burgled their homes and stole their possessions are now behind bars, and on behalf of the public.”
Operation Red Anvil was run by police officers from the Cardiff Organised Crime Unit and supported by officers from the Welsh Regional Organised Crime Unit.