‘The group caused havoc’: Four from organised crime gang jailed for spate of armed cashpoint robberies

Four men have been convicted for a total of 40 years following a five-month trial after they were found guilty for their role in an organised crime group that robbed cashpoints.

The armed robberies took place between May 2018 and November 2019 across London, with a fleet of stolen cars valued at £243,000 used to commit the offences.

They join six others jailed in July 2021 and April 2022 for their parts in the robberies.

Some of the stolen cash was damaged with security dye during the robberies and rendered useless. Cash was also laundered by being used through fixed odds betting terminals in betting shops.

The series of offences took place in London, Oxford, Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire. The gang operated out of Wandsworth, Banstead, Brixton and Clapham, and often met on the Henry Prince Estate in Earlsfield.

In many of the offences the suspects were in possession of loaded handguns, metal crowbars, axes, knives and other weapons. They often wore ballistic body armour and balaclavas while committing the offences.

CCTV showed them associating, meeting together and conducting reconnaissance of banks and Cash and Valuables in Transit (CViT) vans.

They were also seen moving stolen cars and changing the number plates to obscure their dishonest activities as well as disposing of evidence by fire.

Brooklyn McFarlane, 27, of St. John’s Drive, Wandsworth, was sentenced to 13 years for two counts of conspiracy to commit robbery, threatening another with an offensive weapon, having an article with a blade or point, two counts of handing stolen goods and possession of an offensive weapon.

Abdi Omar, 27, also of St. John’s Drive, Wandsworth, Mahdi Hashi, 29, of Wandle Way, Wandsworth and Noaman Amin, 26, of Aliwal Road, Clapham Junction were all sentenced to nine years for conspiracy to commit robbery and threatening another with an offensive weapon.

In one incident in July 2018, the gang followed a CViT van to Staines Road in Feltham. The crew of the van were restocking cash at the ATM at a Tesco Express.

McFarlane and Hashi attacked the guard using a claw hammer, repeatedly striking him around his head and upper body. The three then made off with the stolen cash box.

In December 2018, The Met followed a car they believed to be connected to previous robberies which was being driven by McFarlane and Omar, they were armed with a knife and metal crowbar.

The two located a CViT van which was parked outside Sainsbury’s Local in Haydon Road, Wimbledon. McFarlane and Omar attempted to attack the guards when armed police intervened and arrested them following a short chase.

Detective Constable Stephen O’Connell, from the Met’s Flying Squad, said: “The group caused havoc in and outside of London with high value cars being stolen and a huge amount of money laundered and spoilt.

“These men have since discovered that crime does not pay and thanks to the complex investigative work by the Flying Squad, they will instead be spending time behind bars.

“Investigations continue to track down and bring to justice outstanding suspects who are believed to be involved in these offences.”

A further six offenders – aged between 29 and 36 years old – the senior members of the organised crime group (OCG), were jailed in July 2021 and April 2022.

They were sentenced to a total of 101 years’ imprisonment at the same court for their part in armed robberies across the country.

Reporting restrictions were put in place covering the six offenders until all sentence outcomes were reached.

Pictured top: Clockwise from left, Brooklyn McFarlane, Mahdi Hassi, Noaman Amin, Abdi Omar (Picture: The Met)