Five members of a ruthless organized crime gang have been sentenced to prison for a series of thefts targeting people withdrawing large sums of cash from banks in north and west Kent. The criminals used deceptive distraction techniques to steal tens of thousands of pounds from victims, many of whom were elderly.
Between October 2024 and February 2025, the gang operated in Chatham, Dartford, Gravesend, and Sevenoaks. Their method involved observing people, aged in their 60s, 70s, and 80s, leaving banks with significant amounts of money. The offenders would then follow them to their cars. Once at the vehicle, the gang would create a distraction to draw the victims’ attention away. Methods included placing nails near the car to feign a puncture or squirting a sauce, like mustard, onto the victim’s coat. As the victim was preoccupied, an accomplice would quickly steal cash from their car or bag. In total, the thieves successfully stole £20,720 and attempted to steal an additional £10,085.
An extensive investigation, led by Kent detectives, involved analysing CCTV footage and Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras. This led to the identification of the gang’s vehicle, which was tracked across the south of England. The investigation culminated in a plain-clothes police operation in Hemel Hempstead on February 7, where the five suspects were arrested. The subsequent investigation found the gang had also targeted victims in Berkshire and Essex.
All five defendants—Jhon Ruiz, Maria Carmen, Solomon Rondon, Miguel Perez, and Matias Vega, all of no fixed address—pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal. They were sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday, August 7.
- Miguel Perez, 31, received the longest sentence of three years and nine months.
- Maria Carmen, 48, was sentenced to three years and four months.
- Jhon Ruiz, 40, Solomon Rondon, 49, and Matias Vega, 32, were each jailed for two years and seven months.
Detective Constable Emma Laimbeer described the criminals as “heartless” for targeting vulnerable individuals.
“These heartless criminals targeted victims who could not afford to lose the large amounts of cash that were stolen. Their targets were people whose first instinct was to trust strangers who engaged them in conversation,” she said. “The victims’ good natures were then exploited by an organised gang who used a variety of distraction techniques to get access to their money.”