A criminal investigation in France has revealed a sophisticated car theft ring operating out of the Stellantis factories in Sochaux and Mulhouse, with stolen vehicles allegedly ending up on the African black market, particularly in Algeria.
Five individuals have been imprisoned for their roles in the criminal enterprise which has raised concerns about security measures in vehicle storage, French news outlet L’est Républicains reported.
The ethnicities of the suspects have not been disclosed.
The investigation began in 2018 when around 60 vehicles were stolen from the Sochaux-Montbéliard site. The method was alarmingly straightforward and involved an inside man, enabling a vehicle to brazenly break through the security fences of the Stallantis storage unit, allowing others to follow suit in a single file.
The situation escalated in July 2022 when Stellantis Mulhouse management noticed discrepancies during a stock review, prompting a complaint to the French police. An investigation found that the thefts were part of a well-organized network extending between the two sites. The scale of the operation necessitated the involvement of specialists in combating organized crime at the Interministerial Research Group Alsace based in Strasbourg.
After extensive surveillance, authorities arrested nine individuals in September last year suspected of orchestrating vehicle thefts en masse. Five of them have been charged with “organized gang theft” and “criminal conspiracy,” facing up to ten years in prison. The thefts involved over 75 new vehicles, including models like the Peugeot 3008, 208, and 308, with market values of up to €45,000.
The thieves used an employee badge to discreetly remove vehicles from the parking lot without drawing attention. Prosecutors noted that the operation went undetected due to the high volume of vehicles in transit and lax inventory checks.
Authorities recovered luxury vehicles in the possession of the accused and found €50,000 in cash at one suspect’s residence. The suspects are known to law enforcement with some having considerable rap sheets for similar offenses.
Prosecutors suspect that the stolen vehicles were intended to be resold on the black market in North Africa with customers often linked to organized crime. They noted that the serial numbers of the vehicles were often erased, making them untraceable.
The investigation continues as officers seek to uncover the full extent of the network and locate the remaining vehicles currently unaccounted for.
