A fifth member of an organised crime gang behind a campaign of high-value vehicle thefts across North Wales and Cheshire has been jailed for three years and nine months.

Dziugas Klinavicius was sentenced at Mold Crown Court today after admitting his role in a Lithuanian organised crime group which targeted Mercedes and BMW vehicles between January and March last year.

The gang stole eight vehicles and attempted to steal a further five, with the vehicles together valued at around £320,000.

Several North Wales communities were targeted, including Llandudno, Llandudno Junction, Penrhyn Bay, Abergele, Rhyl and Prestatyn. The gang also operated in areas including Northwich and Crewe.

Police said the offenders used keyless relay equipment to intercept signals from car keys inside people's homes, allowing them to unlock and start vehicles. GPS jammers were also used to prevent tracking devices from sending their locations.

In some cases, CCTV and doorbell cameras were covered with duct tape, while cloned number plates were used on stolen vehicles.

The investigation was helped by DNA recovered from duct tape left on a victim's CCTV camera, along with telecommunications data and messages from an encrypted messaging service.

One Mercedes stolen from an address in Llandudno on March 7th last year was traced to the King's Lynn area in Norfolk. It was found later that day at an industrial unit, where it had been partially stripped and prepared for export.

Three men arrested at the premises were later convicted of conspiracy to receive stolen goods. Rytis Ardavicius was sentenced to 46 weeks in prison and deported, while Stasys Venckus and Arnas Jankauskas were each sentenced to 27 months and deported.

Fifteen days later, police officers in Prestatyn disturbed a group attempting to steal a BMW from a driveway on a new-build estate.

Tomas Politovas was arrested following a chase. Officers found him carrying signal-jamming equipment, duct tape, cloned number plates, tools and a mobile phone.

Information recovered from the phone revealed an encrypted messaging app used by the gang to communicate, research and plan vehicle thefts across the country.

Politovas pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit vehicle thefts across North Wales and Cheshire and was sentenced to four years in prison. He has since been deported.

Klinavicius remained at large until July this year, when he was arrested by Greater Manchester Police after allegedly attempting to escape from a vehicle theft in the Oldham area in the back of a taxi.

He was transferred to North Wales Police custody and charged with conspiracy to commit vehicle thefts and using apparatus to interfere with wireless telegraphy.

Klinavicius pleaded guilty at Mold Crown Court on August 28th and was sentenced today. The judge has referred deportation matters to the Home Office.

Detective Constable Ash Davies said the investigation had been lengthy and complex, and that Klinavicius had played an "integral role" in the gang's criminal activity.

He said car theft was not a victimless crime and that North Wales Police would continue working with other forces to identify the people, patterns and locations linked to organised vehicle theft.

The force says the case demonstrates the work being carried out to dismantle organised crime groups operating across North Wales and beyond.