ROME (Reuters) -Italian, Spanish and Belgian police have dismantled an Eastern European criminal network accused of stealing luxury cars and smuggling them to Dubai for resale, Italian and EU authorities said on Tuesday.
The gang scoped out the cars in holiday resorts such as Forte dei Marmi and Cortina in Italy, and Marbella in Spain. The vehicles were fitted with tracking devices, allowing thieves to strike later, Italy’s Carabinieri police said in a statement.
The cars – mostly Range Rover, Lexus and Toyota models – were then driven to Belgium, where chassis numbers were altered and fake or cloned number plates were added, before shipping from the port of Antwerp, they added.
Officers seized four stolen cars, kits to clone car keys, jammers and other equipment used to open cars, neutralise their alarm and GPS systems, and dismantle security transponders to prevent further tracking of the stolen vehicles.
Eurojust and Europol, the EU’s justice and police cooperation agencies, helped with the investigations into the thefts of more than 100 high-end vehicles, collectively worth at least 3 million euros ($3.5 million), since early 2024.
Tuesday’s sting targeted 24 suspects, mostly from Moldova but also Russia, Romania and Ukraine, with six of them detained and three put under house arrest, the Carabinieri, who led the investigations, said.
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(Reporting by Alvise Armellini;Editing by Alison Williams)
