Two men have been pleaded guilty to stealing dozens of bottles of alcoholic drinks worth more than a thousands pounds as part of a high-value supermarket shoplifting spree.
The pair also face charges of stealing or trying to steal bottles of drink worth more than £4,500 from other supermarkets.
Cezar Soare, 39, of Manor Square, Dagenham, and Andre Secere, 37, of Lord Street, Southport, were arraigned – or formally answered the charges – at Hove Crown Court.
Each pleaded guilty to five charges, the first of which involved stealing drink worth £874 from Sainsbury’s, in Westhampnett Road, Chichester, on Thursday 28 November last year.
The two Romanian men also made off with a haul from the Asda branch at Brighton Marina and targeted Sainsbury’s in The Drove, Newhaven, on Saturday 8 February.
They conspired to steal alcoholic drinks worth £224 from the Asda branch in Crowhurst Road, Hollingbury, on the same date where they were caught going equipped to steal.
They had a powerful magnet with them, for releasing the security caps on bottles of spirits.
Richard Barton, prosecuting, told the court that they also faced charges relating to thefts and attempted thefts from other supermarkets.
These were a branch of Asda, in Fareham, a Tesco, in Bournemouth, and a Wm Morrison, in Caterham.
A few days after the men’s arrest, Sussex Police said that they were detained at about 6pm on Saturday 8 February at Asda, in Hollingbury, after security intercepted them as they left the store.
The force said: “This followed CCTV identifying two men behaving suspiciously in the spirits aisle.
“Officers conducted inquiries in the nearby area and located a car containing approximately £2,100 of stolen alcohol and other items.
“Many of the bottles of spirit were found to still have their security tags attached.”
Judge Stephen Mooney remanded both men in custody to await sentence.
