Tesco lost £30,000 to couple who went on mega shoplifting spree across 11 counties

Both initially from Romania the couple took items from the store without paying, mostly in the form of alcohol, cosmetics, washing detergent and health and beauty items by removing security tags.

Oprescu, who was occasionally joined by Radu for his heists, pleaded guilty to stealing £25,000 of items and was jailed for two years and three months for his many instances of shoplifting between February and August this year.

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Radu also pleaded guilty at Nottingham Crown Court to seven shop thefts totalling around £6,000.

However, Radu’s sentencing was deferred for six months with the judge telling her that she will avoid prison if she commits no further offences before her next court appearance.

The court heard that the couple were attested at their home on September 6 and their haul of stolen items were found at the property after a search.

An investigation by Nottingham Police was launched after a number of thefts at Tesco Extra in Jubilee Way South, Mansfield.

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Sergeant Louise Ellis, who led the investigation, said: “This was an intelligence-led investigation that involved more than 200 hours of work from ourselves and Tesco, who played a key role in gathering the evidence needed to put Oprescu and Radu before the courts.

“Together they caused significant harm to stores across the country and we are pleased to see them face the consequences of their persistent offending.

“Retail crime has been high on the public agenda and Nottinghamshire Police are leading the way in tackling the problem by working in partnership with large retailers.

“By working together and streamlining processes, we are able to bring offenders to justice quicker and easier than ever before.

“We will continue working closely with partners in the retail sector to prevent business crime.”

Inquiries by Nottingham Police found the pair targeted stores in Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, Northumberland, Staffordshire, Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, Derbyshire, Cambridgeshire, Yorkshire and County Durham.

On his most daring raid, Oprescu stole an estimated £10,000 worth of products across three Tesco stores in North Yorkshire and Stockton-on-Tees.

He was also found to have stolen £7,000 in printer ink at a store in Northumbria.