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  "path": "/news/tesco-chocolate-theives-banned-sainsburys-co-op-romanian",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-26T20:06:15.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Benefits fraudster scrounged £23k to fund lavish lifestyle but was exposed by ziplining pictures",
    "Suspended NHS doctor charged with 'multiple counts of inviting support for Hamas'",
    "Police reopen investigation into Andrew Tate sex abuse allegations",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nTwo Romanian nationals have been banned from entering any Tesco, Sainsbury's, or Co-op store across the United Kingdom following a year-long campaign of chocolate theft.\n\nVasile Leonard Ionescu, 26, and Daniel Florin Mihai, 29, admitted to stealing confectionery worth £4,917.99 from shops nationwide during a court appearance at York Magistrates' Court yesterday.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe pair received eight-month prison terms, suspended for two years, after Ionescu pleaded guilty to 18 theft offences and Mihai to 10 counts.\n\nBoth also admitted to one count of attempted theft.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nA two-year criminal behaviour order now bars them from the three major supermarket chains throughout Britain.\n\nThe criminal operation extended across multiple regions of England, with thefts recorded in Kent, Surrey, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, and West Yorkshire over late 2025 and early 2026.\n\nNorth Yorkshire Police spearheaded the inquiry after receiving numerous reports of shop thefts in the Harrogate area.\n\nIonescu and Mihai would enter supermarkets, including Tesco and Sainsbury's, before leaving with substantial quantities of chocolate products.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTheir most lucrative single raid occurred at a Sainsbury's branch in Malton, where they took £670 worth of premium confectionery, including Lindt, Galaxy and Cadbury brands.\n\nThe duo had travelled more than 200 miles from their Suffolk base to target stores in Malton, York, Harrogate and Knaresborough.\n\nOn March 3, the caper came to an end when North Yorkshire Police's Road Policing Group intercepted them on the A1(M) motorway near Dishforth.\n\nOfficers had developed intelligence reports connecting the two men to the series of offences across the region.\n\n### LATEST DEVELOPMENTS\n\n\n\n\n  * ~~~~Benefits fraudster scrounged £23k to fund lavish lifestyle but was exposed by ziplining pictures\n  * Suspended NHS doctor charged with 'multiple counts of inviting support for Hamas'\n  * Police reopen investigation into Andrew Tate sex abuse allegations\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nIonescu, who gave his address as Spring Road in Ipswich, and Mihai, listed as having no fixed abode, were apprehended as they drove towards Dishforth.\n\nThe arrest followed determined investigative work by North Yorkshire Police's Investigation Hub, which had linked multiple theft reports to build a comprehensive case against the prolific shoplifters.\n\nIn addition to the suspended sentences, Ionescu was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work. Mihai received a requirement for 180 hours.\n\nBoth men must also undertake rehabilitation activities.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nPolice Staff Investigator Jamie Brownhill, who led the case, said: \"Shoplifting costs our economy millions of pounds and that loss not only impacts local businesses and the local town, the cost passes on to law-abiding members of the public.\n\n“We take shoplifting extremely seriously and will do everything we can to bring offenders to justice.\n\n\"In this case, offenders travelled into North Yorkshire specifically to commit a crime, and we want to make it absolutely clear that this behaviour will be met with firm and decisive action.\n\n“Together, it is our priority to protect our communities, support local businesses, and keep North Yorkshire safe.\"\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "Thieves who stole £5,000 worth of chocolate banned from EVERY Tesco"
}