Bulgarian gang who tried to steal barrels of cooking oil from a Morrisons foiled by staff

A Bulgarian gang who travelled over 100 miles to try to steal barrels of cooking oil from Morrisons in a broad daylight sting job were stopped by brave supermarket staff who trapped them within the delivery yard gates. 

Boris Ognyanov, 37, Ian Georgiev, 43, and Nikolay Yordanov, 44, were after the cooking oil after steep price hikes have made it a hot commodity for the black market – as it can be used to make biofuel. 

The trio travelled all the way from Wood Green in north London for the attempted supermarket theft.

Yesterday the trio were fined £525 each at Norwich Magistrates Court, Norfolk, having pleaded guilty to attempted theft in October last year.

Nikolay Yordanov, 44, was one of a gang of three that tried to steal barrels of cooking oil from a Norwich Morrisons

Ivan Georgiev, 43, and his accomplices were stopped by staff 

Quick-thinking store staff trapped them in the delivery yard of the Norwich site

The magistrates said: ‘It is clear you knew what you were doing and had travelled some distance.

‘You weren’t local nor was this an opportunistic theft.’

The court heard the trio were paid £180 each to collect the barrels which are meant to be collected by a recycling company.

James Burrows, mitigating, said: ‘These men were paid a modest amount to take this oil.

‘The actual organiser of the enterprise isn’t in court.’

Used cooking oil can be used as a key ingredient in the production of biofuel which has increased in value in recent years – contributing to the increase in oil thefts. 

According to the BBC, cooking oil theft costs the Treasury on average £25 million a year in ‘lost duty’. 

Boris Ognyanov was also fined £525 for attempted theft for the incident

Police have warned businesses to be vigilant after a spate of cooking oil thefts had occurred across Norfolk including schools, chip shops and pubs.

In March alone, two successful thefts of oil have been reported with over 180 litres of oil stolen – including a massive 140 litre heist at a pub in Wymondham.

Last month two men were found by police in the early hours with oil allegedly stolen from a Brancaster restaurant in Norfolk.

They were later charged with theft.

Thieves are known to pretend to be from a recycling company to pick up oil as well as lifting it from unsecured premises.

In response to the worrying spate of cooking oil criminality, Norfolk Police has issued fresh guidance to commercial businesses. 

A spokesman said: ‘We are urging companies to review their security and cooking oil disposal processes, and to follow the guidance below to prevent being targeted by thieves:

‘Ensure CCTV cameras and security lighting are installed as deterrents. Motion sensor or dusk-to-dawn lighting that will illuminate the area at night is a good investment.

‘Install an alarm system or lockable gates to where your cooking oil barrels are kept.

‘Regularly check your cooking oil levels to ensure a theft has not occurred and use built-in locks on the barrels if available.

‘Keep used oil barrels indoors if it is safe do so, or ensure they are out of reach of opportunistic thieves.

‘Double check with your oil recycling company if ‘workers’ arrive but collection was not scheduled for that day.’