The five men targeted firms across the Black Country, Staffordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire taking metal, copper and other goods.
They stole vehicles from the companies and used others on cloned plates to take the stolen material back to their based at an industrial unit on Watery Lane, Wolverhampton, and are believed to have sold the metal to scrap dealers.
In one of the thefts at Cashmore Metals in Walsall on January 1, 2023, they turned up with a trailer which was so overloaded with the copper that it toppled over.
They stole £400,000 of metal from the firm and brazenly left behind 'Happy Christmas' message and a crudely drawn picture of male genitals.
