Customs con gang in Brierley Hill warehouse bid jailed
Three conmen were behind bars today for a failed bid to steal a "significant" amount of alcohol and cash from a Black Country warehouse by posing as revenue and customs officers.
The trio – posing as two customs officers and their bodyguard – had proper warrant cards and official property bags and cash seizure forms, a judge heard yesterday.
They intended to "impound" booze from the warehouse in Brick Kiln Street, Brierley Hill, after claiming that the proper duty had not been paid on the drink, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told. But its owner, Mr Kulvant Singh Gora, became suspicious because the warrant cards shown to him did not have photographs on them, explained prosecutor Mr Mark Phillips.
Mr Gora spoke Punjabi while ostensibly phoning his daughter to check details of computer invoices for the purchase of the disputed alcohol but actually told her to ring the police who arrived to catch the culprits red-handed, the court heard.
Smartly dressed Franco Molinari, aged 43, and 26-year-old Shiral Rodrigo posed as customs officers after arriving in a BMW with Matuesz Zajac, 21, who wore an earpiece and carried a walkie-talkie while pretending to be their "security officer".
Mr Phillips added: "Two of the men had genuine HM Revenue and Customs badges but Mr Gora was suspicious because they did not have photographic ID.
"He later spoke Punjabi during a phone call with his daughter and told her to call the police."
Molinari had a specially prepared script ending with the phrase "all this stuff is seized," the court heard. But he started to "sweat profusely" when the police arrived and admitted the hour-long visit on September 25 was a scam.
Mr Phillips observed: "The operation had been scripted by somebody who had a detailed knowledge of the way in which customs officers operate. The three men were offered up to £700 each but whoever was the controlling mind behind this expected to make considerably more."
Mr Sanjeev Sharma, defending, said: "They were at the bottom of the organisational chain. Their intention was to take some alcohol and pass it on to others."
Molinari from Bakersfield, Nottingham, Rodrigo of Ingelby, Stockton-onTees and Zajac who lives in Leicester all admitted attempting to steal excise goods of an unknown value belonging to Mr Gora. Molinari and Rodrigo also pleaded guilty to impersonating customs officers. None had previous convictions.
Judge Michael Challinor jailed Zajac and Rodrigo for a year and Molinari for 10 months.
