Three Romanian men have been sentenced to three years in prison after being caught stealing underground BT cables in Birmingham, causing widespread disruption to phone and internet services for thousands of residents.
The theft and arrest
On January 20, firearm officers and a dog handler were patrolling near Great Charles Queensway when they were alerted to a group of men beneath a manhole cover. In dramatic footage released by West Midlands Police, an officer warned the gang to "come out" or "the dog's coming in." Sophisticated alarms designed to detect tampering with the valuable metal cables had been triggered, prompting Openreach to call 999.
The three men—Marian Agarlita, 37, of the Isle of Wight; Sorin Condrache, 45; and Aldafin Poenaru, 49, both of Montague Road, Smethwick—were arrested at the scene. They later admitted theft and were jailed for three years at Birmingham Crown Court on May 1.
Impact on the community
The stolen cables cost approximately £50,000 to replace, with overnight repair costs even higher. Thousands of customers experienced interruptions to their phone and internet connections. One of the risks was that alarm systems could have been disabled, creating safety hazards for anyone trapped in a lift or a building fire.
PC Charlotte Gurrey of West Midlands Police said: "The gang were clearly skilled, organised, and a significant amount of planning went into their efforts to steal communications cable that night. Agarlita initially refused to come up and there were discussions about having to close and dig up part of the street so that whoever went down to bring him out was not at risk from damaged cables or any gas that may have leaked. They showed a complete disregard for the knock-on impact on communication within the city."
Reaction from authorities
Robin Edwards, from the National Infrastructure Crime Reduction Partnership (NICRP), said: "Metal crime is a blight on our communities, industry and has a significant impact on our daily lives. Sections of the scrap metal sector operate outside the law, damage the legitimate sector, which is unacceptable and damaging to business. These operators have been identified as disposal routes for stolen metal and provide an outlet for criminals to convert stolen property into money funding other types of criminality."
An Openreach spokesperson added: "Cable theft causes real harm. When phone and broadband services are taken out, it’s not just frustrating - it can leave vulnerable people without the support they rely on. Putting things right isn’t quick or easy. Our engineers have to be pulled away from other vital work, repairs can take weeks, and the cost runs into thousands of pounds. That’s why we’re pleased to have worked closely with West Midlands Police and local partners on a joined-up approach that’s delivered a positive result."
