Raiders broke into the drone shop of a Dragons’ Den star and stole more than £100,000 worth of stock

Masked raiders broke into the drone shop of a Dragons’ Den star and stole more than £100,000 worth of stock in just three minutes.Show more

The "targeted" professional break-in saw 18 DJI drones, two cameras, mini drones, goggles and accessories nicked from the secured premises in Chichester, West Sussex, just after Christmas.

Owner Mark Boyt, 45, set up Drone Safe Register and Drone Safe Store after winning a £60,000 investment from multi-millionaire businessman Peter Jones on BBC's Dragons’ Den in 2018.

The firm's alarm was triggered just after midnight on December 28 and the pair were caught on CCTV prising open the door before making off with the high-tech loot.

Two masked raiders were captured on the building's CCTV surveillance system in all-black tracksuits, carrying a blue Jewson branded concrete mixing bag.

Both burglars were wearing Nike trainers and Nike jogging bottoms.

The two burglars forced their way into the building after damaging an outer wire fence, before rushing through the building, heading directly towards the Drone Safe Store on the first floor.

Once at the door, the thieves used brute force to smash the frame before escaping through the fire door in the direction of the nearby train tracks..

Police arrived at Basepoint Enterprise Centre within six minutes and officers even put their own drone above the scene to try to track down the burglars, but the two men had already fled the area.

Items stolen included DJI’s new Mavic 3 Cine Premium Combo, worth over £4,000, as well as Mavic 3 Fly More Kits, individual Mavic 3s and DJI Mini 2s.

In total the products' value equates to well over £100,00 worth of technology.

Tom Boyt, manager of Drone Safe Store and son of Mark, said; “It’s soul-destroying to see what has happened. Doing this to a family run business at Christmas time is despicable.

“We’ve tried so hard in the past 18 months to educate the general public on the benefits of drones and the legalities of drone flying.

“So despite this setback, we will continue to be open for business. Stolen goods are often sold via Facebook Marketplace, we’re urging everyone to stay vigilant.

“These drones are worth thousands of pounds each and could be found anywhere in the country by now.”

Mark Boyt, CEO and founder of Drone Safe Register and Drone Safe Store, said many customers' Boxing Day orders were stolen by the thieves.

He added: “It was all very targeted. This is an incredibly unfortunate situation that our family-run business has been targeted.

“We have worked so hard to build our business and sadly we’ve had to disappoint customers whose Boxing Day orders have been stolen.

“We’ve worked night and day to build the UK’s fastest-growing and highest-rated DJI drone store and to see that hard work tarnished in a matter of minutes is soul-destroying.

“We’re proud to say that despite this setback, the Drone Safe Store is still open for business and we look forward to serving you and doing what we do best.

“I want to personally thank Drone Safe Register members during this troubling time for all the help and support they have offered to help track down these missing drones.

“We are working with the manufacturer to publish all of the product's serial numbers and are urging the public to remain vigilant for any cheap DJI drones being offered.

“We will be offering a substantial reward for any information that leads to the identification of and arrest of the two thieves spotted in the CCTV footage.

“It's pretty pointless for the thieves, the drones are unsellable, it's a complete waste of time for them. Every single drone operator knows these drones. We're extremely hopeful they'll be caught.”

Police issued an appeal for information yesterday (Wed) in a bid to help trace the two men pictured in the CCTV.

Detective Inspector Pauline Lane, of Sussex Police's Coastal CID, said: “This was a significant burglary that has had a devastating impact on the victims.

“A full investigation is ongoing and we would ask anybody who recognises the people in this picture, saw anything suspicious in the area around the time of the offence or has relevant dash-cam footage to contact police.”

TV entrepreneur Mr Jones bought a 40 per cent stake in the Chichester-based firm that hires out commercial drone pilots as well as selling the expensive devices and equipment.

But the 55-year-old, who made his first millions in the telecoms industry and is now said to be worth around £450million, is no longer involved in Mr Boyt's business.