A trio of burglars who stole £1million worth of the weight loss drug Mounjaro have been locked up. Mark Harding, 55, Robert Townsend, 59, and 44-year-old Peter Costello carried out the 'highly organised' and 'sophisticated' operation on January 24 at a pharmaceutical distribution site in St Albans.They broke into the property on Handley Page Way by entering the duct and forcing themselves into a walk-in fridge.The three defendants were sentenced at St Albans Crown Court today to a total of 15 years in prison.Judge Jonathan Mann KC said: 'Tools were used to cut through an air conditioning unit, which enabled Mr Costello and Mr Harding to enter the property.'According to the prosecution, the two of you used a ledge in order to enter the property and to avoid setting off the alarms.'Doing that must mean that you knew to do that, which means that this was thought about in advance.'The prosecution said Townsend stayed outside as a 'lookout' and had 'scouted out' the site a week earlier. Mark Harding, 55, of Chertsey Road, Feltham, is pictured. Some £35,000 in cash was discovered in a picnic basket in his wardrobe Robert Townsend (pictured), 59, stayed outside as a 'lookout' and had 'scouted out' the site a week earlier Peter Costello, 44, entered the property with Harding through the air conditioning unitCostello, of Sydney Road, Sutton; Harding, of Chertsey Road, Feltham; and Townsend, of Lower Pillory Down, Sutton, were all charged with burglary after being arrested on February 11.Harding and Townsend also admitted to possession of criminal property after being found with thousands of pounds secreted away in their homes.Some £35,000 in cash was discovered in a picnic basket in Harding's wardrobe, while £19,900 was found behind an extractor fan in Townsend's home, the court heard.All of the money was thought to relate to the Mounjaro offence - though the £944,544.89 worth of weight loss drugs have not been found.Judge Mann said: 'I have no doubt in concluding that a great deal of money was made as an effect of the distribution of the Mounjaro.'CCTV shown in court saw Costello and Harding both clad in black, wearing gloves and carrying torches, climb into the building through the air duct.They then moved quickly through the site and 'forced open' a large refrigerated area, where they began to take out boxes of the weight-loss drug.The defendants left and then came back for more boxes less than two hours later.Prosecuting, Harrie Austin-Jones said 'there was advanced targeting and scoping of the building' which meant they knew how to circumvent the alarms.They also sprayed black paint on some of the CCTV cameras, the court heard.On behalf of Harding, Graham Logan argued he 'didn't know the full extent of what was involved,' and sought to minimise the sophistication of the burglary.However, Judge Mann was unconvinced and said 'it belies common sense' that any of them did not know what they were getting themselves into.All three defendants had previous convictions, with Costello and Harding both prosecuted for other burglaries in the last decade.The trio were watched from a packed public gallery of their family and friends as each was jailed for five years and three months for burglary, with Townsend and Harding receiving nine-month concurrent sentences for the criminal property charge.Crime proceedings will be settled regarding the criminal property found at the homes of Townsend and Harding.