Julian Evans KC, prosecuting, said Dumitru would drop Mihai at the victim’s home and wait nearby, apparently armed with weapons in case of trouble.
After encouraging the victim to drink the alcohol laced with GBL, Mihai would wait until they fell unconscious, before looking for property to steal, such as cash, aftershave, jewellery and expensive watches, Evans said.
He said the defendants, who previously lived in Birmingham before moving to Ilford, were “willing to act in this way out of greed”.
Sentencing, Mrs Justice Brunner KC said the amount of GBL given to the pair’s victims was “haphazard”,
She told them: “If you had stopped for a moment to consider the risks, as you should have done, you would have realised that you were creating a high risk of serious injury or death every time you administered that drug.
“If you had done the most cursory research you would know that GBL can be extremely toxic.”
The judge added: “You left each victim alone in a state of deep unconsciousness, and a moment’s thought could and should have led to the realisation that they might never come round.”
