End of journey for these car thieves. Two men, aged 34 and 40, were indicted on Thursday in Paris for organized theft before being imprisoned. They are suspected of belonging to a team, originating from Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis) and made up of automotive professionals. According to the police, between 2022 and 2023 they would have stolen no less than one hundred 4 x 4s in the Paris region, for a loss of 3 million euros.
It all starts on the night of June 12 to 13, 2023, in the 15th arrondissement of the capital. It was a little after midnight, rue de la Quintinie, when the police noticed that the door to a parking lot was open. The police decide to carry out reconnaissance on the premises. They surprise three thieves going after a Lamborghini Urus, worth 200,000 euros. The trio immediately fled and two of these men were arrested. “They were in possession of a sticker bearing a falsified serial number ready to be affixed to the vehicle,” underlines a source close to the case. The two suspected thieves were placed in police custody before being temporarily released.
The case is entrusted to investigators from the auto group of the Paris banditry suppression brigade who place these two suspects, very unfavorably known, under surveillance. They discover that the criminals are crisscrossing the capital and its suburbs and mainly attacking Peugeots and Citroëns. The vehicles are disguised with false plates and false manufacturer labels which describe the origin and characteristics of the automobile and have false registration documents. They are then resold in a garage, via the Leboncoin ad site, to customers who believe they are making a purchase legally. Others were even exported to Algeria.
In November 2023, the first four suspects were arrested in Seine-Saint-Denis, before being imprisoned. In April 2024 it is the client’s turn. And at the start of the week, these two other criminals were arrested in Sarreguemines (Moselle) and in the Paris region. They are both well known to the courts. Their criminal records are marred by five and twelve convictions, notably for theft. During the searches, the police got their hands on several thousand euros. The youngest was, at the time, a VTC driver and traveled throughout Île-de-France. While in police custody, he confessed.
During his travels, carried out mainly in Yvelines and Val-de-Marne, he spotted cars and informed thieves. These took action using jump boxes. This father of four children would have changed his life. He settled in the east of France where he manages a restaurant with eight employees.
His lawyer, Me Emmanuel Dupont de Dinechin, offered a bail of 20,000 euros for his release. “It’s in the past. For two years this man has escaped from this world. He set up a restaurant which works very well,” remarks the lawyer. The second suspect denied any involvement in this affair. Her counsel, Me Déborah Zubillaya, did not wish to comment on this matter covered by the secrecy of the investigation.
Related News :