Alamntas Tuskevicius
(left) and Arunas Gambarovas have been jailed for running the van
theft 'chop-shop'

by Keith Hunt

Jail sentences have been handed out to three gang members who
used a Kent lock-up garage to dismantle stolen vans worth thousands
of pounds.

Lithuanians Arunas Gambarovas, Arturas Gulbinas, and Alamntas
Tuskevicius were convicted of conspiracy to handle stolen goods
after a trial lasting more than three weeks. Vidas Valkauskas was
acquitted.

The case involved large-scale vehicle-ringing of Mercedes
Sprinter vans stolen from the London area, Dartford, Swanscombe and
Erith.

Maidstone Crown Court heard the vans were mainly owned by
builders and tradesmen. The vehicles were either shipped abroad or
dismantled and their parts exported.

Their contents, usually tools worth thousands of pounds, were
also disposed of.

Sorry, this video asset has been removed.

Police footage of the
'chop-shop' at Oakview Stud Farm, Horton Kirby

Many of the vans were never recovered. On the day that one was
traced to northern France, another van bearing the same
registration number was spotted in Chatham.

Gambarovas, 32, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years,
Tuskevicius, 22, to two-and-half years and 23-year-old Gulbinas to
18 months. The three and Valkauskas, 33, all from Hounslow,
Middlesex, denied the charge.

Andrew Espley, prosecuting, said two locations were used as
"chop-shops" - the outbuilding at Oakview Stud Farm in Lombard
Street, Horton Kirby, and another in Southall, West London.

Gambarovas rented out the Horton Kirby lock-up from April last
year.

Police raided it a month later and found numerous stolen
vehicles, as well as parts and documents, tools and cutting
equipment.

"It was being used as a depositary for a host of stolen vehicles
either being chopped up before export or in the process of being
chopped up," said Mr Espley.

"There was a rash of thefts of identical vans carried out over a
very small time frame."

Judge Philip St John-Stevens said the gang was highly organised
and professional.