Two men from the south of England have appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court in connection with a string of break-ins.
Ovidiu Dinu and Gabriel Fratila, both aged 31, face eight charges related to incidents that took place at businesses across the country over an eight-day period.
They each made no plea and were remanded in custody to appear again within eight days.
It is alleged that the pair, from London, illegally entered seven commercial premises – including three in the north-east – between Sunday, August 30 and Sunday, September 6.
Premises in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Glenrothes, Forres and Elgin were targeted during that period.
Mackenzie and Cruickshank in Forres, Moray, was broken into overnight on September 2, with thieves using cutting tools to crack open what was an empty business safe.
The garden centre had recently taken the decision to go cashless due to Covid-19, though the culprits still managed to leave with a few hundred pounds.
On the same night, another business in Elgin was also broken into as police linked the two crimes.
The Harbro farm store was raided at about 11.50pm and owners had to close the store to allow a police investigation to take place.
They posted on social media at the time to inform their customers of the break-in.
The store later reopened at around 2pm after police finished gathering evidence.
The first break-in of which the pair are accused took place on August 30 at a Matalan Store on Glasgow’s Nitshill Road.
The Marks & Spencer branch on Denmore Road, Aberdeen, was then targeted on September 1, while the Mackenzie and Cruickshank Garden Centre on Greshop Road, Forres, was broken into on September 2.
Further thefts took place at the Saltire Retail Park in Glenrothes on September 3; at the Matalan store on Seafield Way, Edinburgh, on September 4 and at Costa on Cogan Road, Glasgow, on September 6.
Detective Sergeant John Lumsden, from Aberdeen CID, said: “Police Scotland is committed to tackling serious and organised crime and we rely on information from our communities to help us.
“Our inquiries continue and anyone with information about any break-ins should contact us by calling 101.”
