Five Evri workers are facing court proceedings after a major theft investigation uncovered nearly £70,000 worth of stolen items at the company’s parcel hub near Junction 36, Hoyland Common.
The scandal has rocked the Yorkshire depot, with two suspects already heading to Barnsley Magistrates’ Court for sentencing this week, while arrest warrants have been issued for two others who remain at large.
The £68,436 Theft Scheme of Evri Workers Unravels
Ilie Nicolescu, 23, and Valentine Cocoras, 38, have both been sentenced to 12 months in jail after pleading guilty in connection with the theft ring that cost Evri £68,436 in stolen goods.
Nicolescu was described by the court as a ‘professional criminal,’ while Cocoras also received a one-year driving ban for using a vehicle during the criminal enterprise
Meanwhile, arrest warrants remain in place for Florin Puscas, 27, and Mihaela Curtasu, 24, who have failed to appear for court proceedings.
A fifth suspect, Tinel Manolache, 44, is scheduled to enter a plea on August 13th after being charged with theft in connection with the same investigation.
The sentences were handed down at Barnsley Magistrates’ Court following a South Yorkshire Police investigation that came to a head last September.
An Evri spokesperson confirmed that the company’s ‘dedicated loss prevention team proactively identified an unusual pattern of behaviour and alerted the police,’ leading to the successful prosecution
Another Blow to Evri’s Reputation
The theft scandal represents yet another headache for Evri, a company already struggling with widespread customer complaints about missing parcels and poor service standards.
While customers have long complained about parcels going missing in Evri’s network, this case suggests the problem may sometimes be more deliberate than operational incompetence.
The timing is particularly awkward for Evri, which is currently trying to hire 5,000 new couriers following their proposed merger with DHL’s UK business – a deal that itself faces regulatory scrutiny from the Competition and Markets Authority.
Questions Over Evri’s Vetting Procedures
The Hoyland Common theft ring raises serious questions about Evri’s employee screening and security procedures, particularly given the company’s aggressive expansion plans and reliance on rapid recruitment to fill thousands of positions.
Industry sources have long suggested that Evri’s hiring process prioritises speed over thorough background checks, with the company’s self-employed courier model meaning many drivers undergo minimal vetting before gaining access to customers’ parcels.
Unlike traditional employment relationships, Evri’s “Flex” couriers often start work within days of signing up through the company’s app-based system, with basic identity checks but limited ongoing security monitoring.
The company’s depot workers, while subject to more formal employment procedures, still handle thousands of parcels daily with relatively minimal supervision – a vulnerability that appears to have been exploited in the Yorkshire case.
With Evri planning to recruit 5,000 new workers in the coming months, questions remain about whether the company will implement more rigorous security measures or continue prioritizing rapid expansion over thorough vetting.
The Broader Impact on Customer Confidence
For a company already rated among the worst in the UK for customer satisfaction, internal theft allegations hardly help rebuild public confidence in their ability to safely handle customers’ parcels.
The Hoyland Common facility serves as a major sorting hub for parcels across Yorkshire and surrounding areas, meaning the theft operation could have affected thousands of customers who may never know whether their missing parcels were genuinely lost or deliberately stolen.
As the remaining court cases unfold over the coming weeks, Evri will be hoping this proves to be an isolated incident rather than evidence of more systemic security problems across their network
The case continues as the remaining court appearances unfold over the coming weeks.
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