A court has heard that SmartWater Security dye was found on the clothes of four men after a £95,000 jewellery shop raid.
They were arrested when their car crashed on the M23 following a 90mph police chase. Clothes and a black balaclava were found in the wrecked Audi A4. Police found traces of SmartWater on the clothing and the four occupants of the car when ultra violet light was shone on them.
A jury at Brighton Crown Court was told a SmartWater spray system was set off as four raiders fled from the W Bruford jewellery shop in Eastbourne last year. More than 30 Rolex, Breitling and Omega watches worth more than £95,000 were stolen in the robbery.
Only one of the watches, a £7,400 Breitling, was recovered. It was in the pocket of one of the jackets left in the getaway car after it crashed. Julian Woodward, prosecuting, said all the other watches and a fifth man involved in the raid are still missing.
Eugene Douglas, 22, Anthony McGowan, 23, and Donovan Parker-Gordon, 25, all from South London, admitted robbery at an earlier hearing. All deny charges of handling stolen goods. Aaron King, 18, from Thornton Heath, Surrey, denies robbery and handling the stolen cars. Douglas also denies dangerous driving during the police chase.
The trial continues.