Burglar from Acton Jailed for Three Years
Drilon Merkohitoj targeted homes in Surrey and Kent
Drilon Merkohitoj. Picture: Surrey Police
April 26, 2025
A man living in Acton has been jailed after he was found guilty of taking part in a series of burglaries in Surrey and Kent.
35-year-old Drilon Merkohitoj of Avenue Gardens targeted 13 houses in the home counties taking thousands of pounds worth of jewellery and other valuables.
Along with his accomplice 30-year-old Ervis Vela from Kent, he selected particular types of properties to steal from between December 2023 and March 2024. Their modus operandi was to attempt entry at the first-floor level where possible or forced ground floor entry by smashing windows if not. They would then make for bedrooms to find items.
However, the pair were careless and left a trail of evidence which led to their conviction. Detectives found DNA evidence at crime scenes including blood smears. This, along with CCTV footage mobile phone data and the fact that the pair wore the same shoes and drove the car to all the burglaries made a guilty verdict inevitable at the end of their trial at Guildford Crown Court on 17 April. Both men were apprehended last July and held on remand before being sentenced to three years and nine months in prison.
Investigating officer, PC Jordan, said ,“This was a highly organised series of offences, carried out by individuals who deliberately travelled to commit burglaries in areas they had no local connection to.
“Their approach was systematic and consistent. Through that, key patterns emerged throughout the investigation and those details, along with forensic evidence and digital tracking, allowed us to build a compelling case against them.
“The sentencing handed down reflects the scale and seriousness of the offending.
“We hope this result offers reassurance to the affected communities and serves as a clear message that we will pursue and prosecute those who seek to profit through such intrusive and distressing.”
Value Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |