A gang of would-be thieves posed as customs officers in an elaborate plot to steal alcohol worth hundreds of thousands of pounds from a warehouse.
Leicester man Mateusz Szymon Zajac (22) and two accomplices visited a warehouse in the guise of officials from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) last summer.
Zajac's two accomplices – Franco Domenico Molinari and Shiral Matthew Rodrigo – showed the factory owner fake identification and produced bags in which they said they were going to store evidence.
The trio also had official-looking documents which they told the owner gave them the right to confiscate bottles of spirits.
A court heard yesterday that the gang told the warehouse owner they were able to do so because, they said, duty had not been paid on the alcohol.
However, the victim became suspicious and called police, who arrested the men at the scene, in Brierley Hill, West Midlands.
The three men appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court yesterday to admit theft and the offence of impersonating a customs official in August last year.
Zajac, of Tyndale Street, West End, Leicester, admitted an offence of attempted theft and was sentenced to 12 months in jail.
Molinari (42), of Langdale Road, Bakersfield, Nottingham, was sentenced to nine months in jail after he pleaded guilty to attempted theft and impersonating a customs official.
Rodrigo (25), of Springhill Grove, Ingleby Barwick, Stockton on Tees, was sentenced to 12 months in jail for the same two offences.
The gang were investigated by HMRC and West Midlands Police. Adrian Farley, the HMRC's assistant director of criminal investigation, said: "Impersonating an HMRC officer is a serious criminal offence and we will take action against anyone found committing this crime.
"We would always urge people to check the identification of those wanting to enter their home or business.
"Any legitimate law enforcement officer or caller will not mind waiting outside while their identity is verified. If you are suspicious, call the police."
His Honour Judge Challinor said: "These types of cases damage HMRC and the identities of the officers in whom the public must be able to have confidence to carry out their duties and any sentence must be seen as a deterrent."
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