A gang of "experienced criminals" stole £66,000 worth of cigarettes and alcohol a string in raids on convenience stores and garages across six counties.
Jason Thomas, 44, and Andrew Bell, 52, were jailed for two years while their accomplices Brad Oakley, 24, and Sean Thomas, 30, were handed an 18-month sentence suspended for two years after pleading guilty to conspiring to commit burglary together, after a string of offences which ended after a raid in Caersws.
His Honour Judge Niclas Parry said one of the nine victims was left "physically sick by the experience", another said the damage was "brutal", while one business owner decided to sell their shop.
The gang's burglaries took place over 46 days in Ceredigion, Gwynedd, Herefordshire and Worcestershire and finally in Powys in July and August 2019.
The court was told that Powys police chased the Audi A3 getaway car at speeds reaching 90mph before ending the pursuit. The car, which had taped up number plates, later rammed a police vehicle as it sped the wrong way along the M54 near Telford.
Prosecuting barrister Carl Scholz said the gang had researched the nearest police stations before targeting shops and garages overnight with crowbars, sledgehammers and two bins to store the stolen cigarettes.
The Swan Garage in Tenbury Wells was the first target at 2.45am on July 10, 2019 but they left empty handed after they were spotted by a lorry trying to enter through a steel door using crowbars, causing £556 of damage. Oakley messaged his partner saying he was "going out to make money".
Eleven days later on July 21, at 2.25am, the four men were captured on CCTV wearing face coverings at the Premier store on Borth seafront. A CCTV camera was sprayed over, and the gang left with £11,400 worth of cigarettes, alcohol and chocolate.
Jason Thomas and his nephew Sean went on to burgle a garage in Bromyard in Herefordshire on July 26 using crowbars and a sledgehammer.
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Then on July 30, at 3.24am, at another Herefordshire garage in Bodenham, the gang stole £6,500 worth of alcohol and cigarettes and caused £9,800 of damage after breaking the front doors.
The gang caused £700 of damage but left empty handed after a raid at the Cross Hands Garage in Gloucestershire early on August 6 after an alarm filled the room with smoke.
On August 6 they hit two premises - the Old Post Office in Ross-on-Wye at 1.30am, when they entered an insecure fire exit and took alcohol worth £300 to £400, then the Spar in Upton upon Severn in Worcestershire where they stole all the cigarettes inside the store, worth £12,000.
Prosecutor Carl Scholz said: "Later a text message between Sean and Jason Thomas telling Sean he had forgotten the cigarettes.
"'S***. Just forgot. Can you bring them later with the money?'"
The penultimate incident happened just after midnight on August 21 at the Spar store in Tywyn where the CCTV camera was ripped from the wall, but it was "unclear why no entry was made on this occasion", Mr Scholz added.
Then at 4.20am on August 23, a Caersws resident was woken by the sound of an alarm sounding at the Spar and called the police. Two police cars pursued The Audi at over 90mph before aborting the chase.
The gang had travelled to mid Wales to steal £12,00 of cigarettes from the village shop, which is now a Premier store.
Jason Thomas' barrister William Smout said the 44-year-old "originally saw them as victimless crimes" and "felt resentment that his own business had failed".
Mr Smout added: "He now realises how shortsighted that was. He feels shame that he gave no thought to these people at the time."
Laura Coton, for Andrew Bell, said the dad-of-one was remorseful over his "stupid" behaviour when he found himself in financial difficulty.
"He is extremely sorry to everybody who has been impacted; the businesses and his family who he feels he has let down," she said.
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Sentencing the four men at Mold Crown Court on Monday, June 17, Judge Parry said the burglaries were jointly planned to cause “significant” losses.
"You not only targeted hardworking shopkeepers and garage owners, but also you thought Wales would be an easy target," he said.
Speaking to Jason Thomas and Andrew Bell, the judge added: "You are mature men and experienced criminals.
"But I cannot ignore the fact that nearly five years has remarkably passed since commission of offences."
Jason Thomas, of Queen Street, Pensnett, Dudley, and Bell, of Princess Road, Oldbury, Sandwell, were sentenced to two years in prison because their antecedent history was "too serious".
Oakley, of Willow Road, Dudley, and Sean Thomas, of Poplar Crescent, Dudley, must complete 250 hours of unpaid work and wear a tag for three months as part of their suspended sentence.
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