Computer chip thieves Adrian Gowers, Darren Tyrrell and Desmond Schwartz

by Julia Roberts

Three men who stole almost £2million of computer chips have been sentenced to a total of more than 12 years behind bars.

Adrian Gowers, 48, of Langdale Close, Gillingham; Darren Tyrrell, 24, of Thomas Road, Sittingbourne; and Desmond Schwartz, 39, of Corton Close, Stevenage, in Hertfordshire, all pleaded guilty to their involvement in a planned, "professional theft" of the silicon chips, known as wafers, from an industrial estate near London's Heathrow Airport.

The chips were described at Maidstone Crown Court as an "expensive commodity" and had arrived from Ireland by lorry in September last year as part of a larger consignment worth £4.5million.

They had been unloaded from the trailer to await onward transportation to Holland when the gang struck.

Prosecutor Christopher May said at a trial involving an alleged fourth member - who was later acquitted - that such was security at the depot that the men were able to simply drive into the yard and load up their stolen Fiat Ducato van with the pallets.

The men fled and abandoned their van within minutes, switching to a Vauxhall Vectra owned by Schwartz.

However, they were being watched by surveillance officers from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate and were arrested on the A30 in Surrey.

A car key found on the back seat of the Vectra was later used by officers to unlock the abandoned Ducato. Inside were boxes of computer chips worth £1.9million.

Computer chips worth almost £2million were recovered by police

Gowers was today jailed for five years and three months, while Tyrell and Schwartz were each jailed for three years and nine months by Recorder Simon Taylor QC.

It had been alleged that Gowers had "recruited" his son Joshua to act as a getaway driver.

However, the 22-year-old of Steerforth Close, Rochester, denied any involvement and was cleared by a jury following a trial last month.

The prosecutor told the jury the theft had involved "a lot of thought and work". He added: "It wasn't something that happened on the spur of the moment and off the cuff.

"A lot of people had involved a lot of time in this and were doing their best to get away with it. Each and every member of the team had their part to play."