A GANG of burglars who stole top of the range cars, jewellery and electrical goods worth �750,000 have been sent to jail.

A GANG of burglars who stole top of the range cars, jewellery and electrical goods worth �750,000 have been sent to jail.

The 12 men have received sentences varying from 15 months to nine years for their involvement in the thefts in which expensive cars were stolen after burgling the owner’s homes.

Dean Kelly, 23, of Neasden Lane, Neasden, was jailed for 15 months for conspiracy to handle stolen goods and Daniel O’Leary, of Brassey Road, West Hampstead, was also convicted of the same offence and found guilty of conspiracy to supply class A drugs and jailed for nine years.

The remaining gang members have been jailed for conspiracy to handle stolen goods and/or conspiracy to supply class A drugs.

Southwark Crown Court heard in all but two of the cases, the gang first burgled the houses in upmarket areas of north-west London, Hertfordshire, Thames Valley and Bedfordshire, to steal the keys to cars such as BMWs, Audis and Mercedes sitting on the driveways.

The gang stole �500,000 worth of cars and �250,000 in jewellery and electrical goods.

Detectives from Operation Parkin, led by the Met’s crime squad, linked the gang to 47 incidents in which each member had a specific role ranging from carrying out the actual burglaries to selling the stolen cars.

Investigating officers managed to track down 31 stolen cars which have been returned to their owners of the relevant insurance companies.

Detective Inspector Bob Boggon, who headed Operation Parkin, said: “This was an intensive, intelligence-led operation to dismantle a large criminal network living off the proceeds of property stolen from residential burglaries, such as expensive luxury cars.

“Burglaries can be very distressing for victims, in this case mainly families who lived in affluent areas.

“Though many of the stolen items were high value goods, there were also a considerable number of personal items of sentimental value, on which a price cannot be put.

“The Met Police will be relentless in its pursuit of organised gangs such as this one.”