International shoplifter jailed after targeting Boots stores in Wicklow
The Wicklow PeopleA man who carried out a nationwide shoplifting spree has been jailed, after stealing almost €2,000 worth of goods from two Boots stores in Wicklow.
Elvis Dulea (50), with an address at Mirea Mioara, Bucharest, Romania, appeared before a sitting of Bray District Court for sentencing after pleading guilty to two counts of theft.
On January 30, the accused entered Boots in Arklow and stole €1,090 worth of skincare and nicotine products, before returning in February and stealing a further €800 worth of perfume.
Prior to coming to Ireland, Mr Dulea, a Romanian national, stole cosmetics and perfumes worth £25,000 from Boots stores in three towns in the UK, including £13,473 from a store in Fareham, near Portsmouth.
He received a two-year sentence in the UK before coming to Ireland in 2025.
What was described as a “targeted crime tourism operation” since then has included thefts from shops in Leitrim, Roscommon, Cavan and other counties, with his biggest haul coming during an €8,000 shoplifting spree in Cork.
During his offending in Ireland, it is estimated he has stolen more than €20,000 worth of goods from a wide variety of retail outlets.
Sergeant Mick Canavan informed the court that the accused has 22 previous convictions, the majority of them for theft offences committed across multiple EU countries and the UK.
Solicitor for the defendant, Brendan Maloney, said his client has a wife and two children, has a “limited education”, but previously worked as a metal fabricator.
In mitigation, Mr Maloney added that Mr Dulea “has a very serious gambling problem”, which led him to steal high-end beauty products.
During proceedings in Mayo, the court heard that the accused came to Ireland last year to work in an effort to pay off gambling debts in his home country.
A repatriation order is currently in place, meaning that upon completion of his sentence Mr Dulea will be returned to Romania.
The court was told that Mr Dulea has also pleaded guilty to other theft charges in Wexford and is due to be sentenced in the coming weeks.
Judge David Kennedy sentenced Mr Dulea to 11 months imprisonment on each count, to run consecutively to a sentence he is already serving.