In keeping with a former Flying Squad officer, a gaggle of South American criminals is concentrating on jewellery retailers throughout the UK with exceptional precision akin to army operations, earlier than swiftly leaving the nation.
The frequency of smash-and-grab incidents, just like the current one in Richmond, has surged from bi-monthly occurrences in 2025 to a startling two per week in 2026, with London being the situation for half of those assaults.
In simply the primary six weeks of this 12 months, retailers have misplaced over £2 million in necklaces, chains, and watches because of these thefts.
Sarah Employees, who beforehand served with the Metropolitan Police’s elite Flying Squad and now leads SaferGems—an intelligence and safety initiative aiding jewelers—describes these South American thieves as extremely expert.
Chatting with LBC, Ms. Employees defined, “They’ve pre-arranged routes to shortly return to America or Europe to dump their loot.”
“In some instances, they handle to enter and depart the UK in lower than 48 hours,” she added.
Alongside a pointy rise within the worth of gold and silver, raids have dramatically elevated because the begin of the 12 months.
In 2025, there have been 22 robberies of jewellers throughout the UK. In January alone, nevertheless, there have been 10 assaults on shops – 5 of which have been in London.
Onlookers shared the second hammer-wielding thieves broke right into a Richmond jewellers within the broad daylight
Six burglaries and 13 thefts have been additionally carried out in simply the primary 4 weeks of the 12 months – making it the month with the best robberies within the final ten years.
In Richmond final month, hammer-wielding thugs broke right into a family-run jewellers and ransacked the window show whereas courageous workers tried to fend them off.
Footage of the brazen west London daytime heist taken by an onlooker and shared extensively on social media confirmed two males swinging a giant hammer towards the glass of the family-owned jewellers Gregory & Co.
They then peeled away the glass and stuffed a blue bag with all the property on show.
Employees members contained in the store desperately tried to claw again what they might earlier than the thieves snatched it.
Bravely, the workers even hit the robbers with what seemed to be a small field to try to deter them from taking anymore items – with out a lot success.
The thugs then fled the scene as shocked bystanders watched on.
Police are but to make any arrests in reference to the incident.
A girl went for assist after discovering her tyre flattened – whereas a suspected gang member adopted her as a part of a gaggle of criminals utilizing distraction techniques to steal 1000’s of kilos value of jewelry
Customized handmade silver bracelets and a corresponding chain by bespoke jeweller Beckon Jewel have been stolen from Stephanie, amongst different valuable gadgets
Ms Employees famous a big improve in crimes linked to gold, including: ‘All valuable metals have gone up considerably in worth however, specifically, gold is a really enticing commodity. It’s very straightforward to promote [and] it’s straightforward to soften down, hiding its origin and any distinctive marks on it.
‘A mixture of that, along with excessive costs and international demand, is making this very enticing for prison gangs… [they] use it within the prison marketplace for shopping for different commodities, utilizing the gold slightly than money.’
House Workplace minister Mike Tapp advised LBC that they have been taking the difficulty ‘extraordinarily significantly’ and have been working intently with the Nationwide Crime Company to interrupt up such prison networks by arresting and deporting their members.
In February final 12 months, a girl was left ‘heartbroken’ after being scammed out of 1000’s of kilos and beneficial jewelry when pawning valuable household gems to pay for her epileptic son’s therapy.
Stephanie Regan, 31, and her mom Mandy, 62, have been the targets of an elaborate distraction theft in Brighton’s North Laine which noticed them tricked by a gaggle of six thieves collaborating to create chaos.
CCTV footage revealed the gang’s calculated assault, which started with suspected thieves loitering outdoors Michael Bloomstein jewelry store on Gloucester Highway, apparently scanning for victims.
Ms Regan and her mom, who suffers from emphysema and continual obstructive pulmonary illness, had pawned sentimental gold jewelry so as to pay for a life-changing seizure detector for Ms Regan’s epileptic son.
A Chilean gang travelled to the UK and posed as vacationers to steal greater than £80,000 value of luxurious gadgets from prosperous properties. Israel Contreras (pictured) was caught after his DNA was discovered on a damaged angle grinder blade left on the scene of a housebreaking in Esher
Yeico Guzman Fernandez (pictured) had solely been within the UK for a variety of hours earlier than he met up with the housebreaking gang to embark on an ‘offending spree’. Surrey Police Investigating officer, Sergeant Ben Deacon, stated that he had ‘entered the UK with sole intention of thievery’
In addition to cash from the offered gems, Ms Regan – additionally a jeweller – had in her purse different jewelry gadgets but to be valued, repaired, taken to the jewelry store the place she works or merely saved.
As they left the store, a presumed gang member adopted them to the automotive and positioned a puncture gadget underneath the again wheel, designed to pierce the tyre upon driving.
The meticulously orchestrated scheme occurred inside three minutes and among the many stolen gadgets have been 1000’s of kilos value of gold and silver jewelry, a few of which had but to be valued.
In September final 12 months, a gang of Chilean ‘housebreaking vacationers’ who travelled to the UK to steal £80,000 value of luxurious gadgets from properties in prosperous neighbourhoods have been jailed.
The group of burglars focused at the least 11 properties throughout Surrey and London from November 3 to December 11 final 12 months, thieving watches, garments, jewelry, and even unopened Christmas presents.
To achieve entry into the luxurious properties throughout their month-long thieving spree, the crooks would typically climb as much as the primary or second flooring earlier than forcing entry by way of home windows or doorways, Surrey Police stated.
Video footage of 1 explicit housebreaking captured the 4 thieves – Israel Contreras, Eduardo Marquez, Yeico Guzman Fernandez and Michael Carrasco, fleeing from a house by leaping out of a window and clambering over the again fence.
Fernandez had even travelled over from the UK from Chile with the ‘sole intention of thievery’ and launched into an ‘offending spree’ with the group as quickly as he landed, Surrey Police Investigating officer, Sergeant Ben Deacon, stated.
However a variety of blunders ultimately noticed the criminals captured by police, with the 4 males later receiving a mixed whole of 17 years in jail for his or her callous crimes.
