A CRIMINAL ring of passport forgers have been jailed for a total of 12 years.

The network is believed to have produced hundreds of forged passports using expensive computer equipment and was smashed following a police investigation.

Rubens Coimbra De Olivera, 27, Sheyla Marques Mendonca, 27, and Leandro Coelho De Souza, 25, Brazilian nationals of South Birkbeck Road, in Leytonstone, were each jailed for three years.

Marcel Belliza, 31, of London Road, Stratford, was also sentenced to three years at a hearing at Snaresbrook Crown Court today.

All four pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing.

Officers swooped on the gang following a raid at a house being used as a passport factory on June 3.

At the house, in Chesterton Road, Stratford, officers discovered a number of high value specialist printers, computers, hot foil presses, vacuum presses, blank counterfeit passports, blank driving licences, immigration embossers and stamps.

Three order books found by officers revealed the factory had been producing between 20 and 30 forged identity documents a day for six months.

Detective Inspector Clive Strong said: "This is another excellent result for the Metropolitan Police Service and provides added reassurance to the public that our officers remain fully committed to tackling organised gangs seeking to profit from immigration crime.

"We will continue to work with all communities affected by immigration crime to ensure these criminals are apprehended and dealt with through the appropriate channels."

In January, a gang of four Brazilian nationals running a passport factory in Windsor Road, Leyton, were also jailed for a total of more than 12 years.