The group terrorized personnel with firearms, knives, hammers, and crowbars before fleeing in a fleet of stolen vehicles and leaving little clues behind.
Members of a gang of armed robbers have been sentenced to more than a century in prison following a spate of savage assaults on security officers restocking cash machines.
They terrorized personnel with firearms, knives, hammers, and crowbars before fleeing in a fleet of stolen vehicles and leaving little clues behind.
When banknotes became tainted with security dye, the money was laundered using fixed-odds betting terminals in bookmakers’ shops.
They took advantage of a mechanism that permitted gamblers to load a machine with up to £3,000 in cash, place a little wager, and then retrieve their unspent stake in new bills from the shop’s cash register.
When they burst into a cash box and triggered the dye security system, they burned heaps of tainted banknotes and a car that was sprayed.
Abdi Omar and Brooklyn McFarlane were ready to attack security personnel at a local Sainsbury’s in Wimbledon when they were ambushed by armed cops. Omar was easily apprehended, whereas McFarlane escaped, drew a knife, and was shot by police who believed he was holding a firearm. He was released from the hospital the next day.
The gang was apprehended by the Metropolitan Police’s Flying Squad, who, using poor-quality CCTV footage, was able to identify and track one of their stolen cars and the first thief, who finally led them to the rest of the gang.
Extreme violence occurred.
Superintendent of Police Simon Moring stated: “They have an organized gang organization. They used stolen vehicles and copied license plates, understood a lot about police methods, and employed effective anti-surveillance procedures, demonstrating that they knew what they were doing. They were an aggressive group.
“Security personnel were violently thrown about, struck with iron clubs, and detained at gunpoint. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured. They would have continued to commit robberies, and who knows where or how they would have ended up.”
The group attacked cash point guards in London, Oxford, Bedfordshire, and Northamptonshire, typically congregating and traveling from a South London estate. They wore ballistic body armor and balaclavas and carried loaded handguns and other weapons. Over the course of 18 months, they stole over £400,000.
Two thieves are apprehended after ramming into a bus.
The first two identified robbers were apprehended after running a red light and colliding with a bus. They fled but were pursued and apprehended by a team of detectives who had been following them.
The two shared a cell in Wandsworth prison while awaiting trial, and authorities later discovered that they had a contraband mobile phone and used it to arrange other crimes by individuals who had not yet been apprehended.
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Basil Abdul-Latif, 36, from South London, was sentenced to 22 years in prison in the first of two trials for conspiracies to rob, possess a firearm to inspire fear of violence, handle stolen goods, and commit arson.
David Tesfaalem, 30, from South London, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for similar offenses.
Ibrahim Lyazi, 29, from west London, received 18 years in prison, while Ihab Ashaoui, 30, and Adam Salman, 32, each received 14 years in prison. Ola Orulebaja served 13 years in prison.
Flying Squad Detective Constable Stephen O’Connell stated: “This investigation was incredibly sophisticated and involved an abundance of evidence. The mob wreaked havoc in and around London by severely damaging buildings and stealing expensive products.
“These men have since realized that crime does not pay, and thanks to the Flying Squad’s intricate investigation, they will instead be incarcerated. Investigations continue to identify and apprehend outstanding people suspected to be involved in these crimes.”
Today, four further men, also from south London, were awaiting sentencing for their roles in the heist scheme. They were Brooklyn McFarlane, Abdi Omar, Mahdi Hashi, and Noaman Amin, all of whom were 27 years old.
