A gang that robbed mobile phone shops across London, threatening staff and stealing devices worth around £150,000, has been sentenced at Croydon Crown Court.

Ringleader Sammie Govera, 32, of The Redlands, Newport, was jailed for 13 years and six months on Friday 6 November. Kevlin Duarte was sentenced to one year and 10 months in a young offender institution, Louis Pandanzyla received an 18-month community order with 150 hours of unpaid work, and a 17-year-old boy who cannot be named was given a 12-month youth rehabilitation order. All four were convicted of conspiracy to commit robbery.

Between 28 May and 9 June 2025 the gang targeted six Three and O2 stores in Lewisham, Woolwich, Wood Green, Haringey, Sutton and Colliers Wood. Wearing balaclavas, they threatened staff, forced their way into storerooms and safes, and stole high-value phones. Prosecutors said the robberies left staff traumatised, with a minimum of £128,000 of phones stolen and the likely total around £150,000.

Covert operation caught gang in Sutton

Detectives from the Metropolitan Police's Flying Squad pieced together CCTV, forensic evidence and mobile phone data to predict the gang's next target, then lay in wait at an O2 store in Sutton. Officers moved in as the gang attempted the robbery, blocking their vehicles and making arrests.

Judge Antony Dunne described the offences as "carefully planned robberies by an organised and professional group" who planned the raids over Snapchat. The court heard the conspiracy was organised by a man using the Snapchat name "Loco". Govera, who was not the main organiser, was told he had exploited the younger participants in the robberies.

Detective Chief Inspector Laura Hillier, of the Flying Squad, said: "These criminals thought they could terrorise shop staff, steal phones and vanish without a trace. They were wrong."