Knife-wielding gang who terrorised money couriers in London due to be sentenced at Kingston Crown Court

Six men pleaded pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery after some money couriers were stabbed with knives and sprayed with noxious gas
Sentence: The six men will learn their fate at Kingston Crown Court today
Met Police
Jamie Bullen8 October 2015

A knife-wielding gang which terrorised money couriers in London following a string of violent attacks are due to be to be sentenced today.

The six men targeted nine couriers across Westminster before carrying out assaults on streets, buses and tube stations.

Some victims were stabbed while others were sprayed with gas during the attacks, which took place between July and November last year.

Daniel Santiago, 23, Daniel Riveira, 33, Mario Jiminez, 25, Kevin Gomez, 23, Juan Estrada Blandon, 32 and Nehmia Haile-Ghilazghi, 23, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery at Kingston Crown Court.

Daniel Santiago
Met Police
Daniel Riveira
Met Police

Robberies took place at Kings Cross Station, Knightsbridge Underground Station, on buses near Hyde Park Corner and Park Lane and on streets across Westminster between July and November 2014.

In total, they stole £120,000 from seven of their victims but failed to get any money from the remaining two.

Mario Jiminez
Met Police
Kevin Gomez
Met Police

Detective Sergeant Tony Skinner, of the Met Police's Flying Squad, said: "The victims were moving large amounts of cash for bureau de change shops. The gangs watched them leave the premises, then followed them before launching their assaults.

"They are an incredibly violent gang who thought nothing of attacking their victims in crowded places. On a number of occasions, they stabbed their victims and sprayed a noxious substance into their eyes. They even turned a knife on a member of public who chased them."

Juan Estrada Blandon
Met Police
Nehima Haile Ghilazghi
Met Police

The Flying Squad arrested Santiago, Riveira and Jiminez in November after they identified a trend in the attacks. Gomez, Blandon and Haile-Ghilazghi were later arrested.

The attacks were:

  • On July 25, the gang stalked a man from Victoria to Kings Cross station, where three of them punched him to the ground and stole his bag. A member of the public chased them into a nearby hotel where one suspect threatened him with a knife.
  • On August 16, the victim drove to Edgware Road and was assaulted as he got out of his car by four of the men, who also grabbed his bag.
  • On September 18, three of the gang stabbed a man in the arm as they attacked him as he left Earls Court station. They stole his laptop bag, wrongly thinking it was where he placed the money.
  • On September 25, a victim had his rucksack stolen when he was beaten up shortly after leaving Oxford Circus station.
  • On October 24, the gang kicked a man down the stairs of Knightsbridge station before they sprayed noxious gas in his eyes and stole his bag.
  • On November 10, three of the group sprayed gas in the victim's face as he parked on Eaton Lane to collect money. When they were unable to unlock the box they slashed the man's thigh with a knife before running off empty handed.
  • On November 15, the gang attacked a man on a number 36 bus near Hyde Park Corner where they forced the victim's hood over his head before they punched him and sprayed a substance on his face. They stole his satchel and ran off the bus.

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