A 13th car theft proved unlucky for a duo who targeted people trying to sell their Mercedes cars privately online.
East Londoners Tahla Ahmed and Umar Haq posed as buyers interested mainly in Mercedes cars. The duo would show up to the unsuspecting sellers and ask to see the cars before driving off with them.
The pair stole 12 Mercedes cars and a Volkswagen Golf from sellers across London, including Wembley and Harrow , before moving on to Watford and Hertfordshire.
The thefts and robberies of cars started in May 2017 and continued until March 2018, when the car thieves were finally caught.
Tahla Ahmed, 22, was handed a driving ban just short of 12 years in court after he was also convicted of a number of driving offences.
Four offences, including driving while disqualified, dangerous driving, driving without insurance and failing to stop for a police officer, all relate to the same incident, on May 6 in Ilford.
The Steele Road resident was charged with stealing eight Mercedes cars and a Volkswagen Golf, as well as robbery as well as an additional four counts of robbing a man of his Mercedes.
The 22-year-old was also convicted of robbing a man of his Mercedes in Luton on October 4, in Borehamwood on December 14, in Hatfield on January 19 and in Forest Gate on February 19.
Both Ahmed and Haq, of Aberdour Road in Ilford, were convicted of conspiring with another to steal motor vehicles between May 5 2017 and March 9 this year.
Both men pleaded guilty as charged at St Alban's Crown Court on Thursday (September 27) and were sentenced the following day at the same court.
As well as a 119-month ban on driving, Ahmed was sentenced to a total of 46 months in prison and ordered to pay a £170 victim surcharge, after asking the judge to take 25 further offences into consideration.
Haq, 28, was sentenced to 36 months in prison and also ordered to pay a £170 victim surcharge.
