The long weeks of investigation paid off.
Investigators from the Meaux research brigade took five months to dismantle a gang of freight thieves.
Tuesday, in the early morning, with the support of the intervention squad of Satory (Yvelines) and the Republican Guard, they arrested four men, three in Seine-Saint-Denis two in Clichy-sous-Bois and another in Blanc-Mesnil, and the last in Savigny-le-Temple.
They are suspected of being involved in around twenty freight thefts committed in Ile-de-France and the surrounding departments since the start of the year.
The market value of all this material is around 132,000 euros.
During their searches, in particular in storage places in Seine-Saint-Denis in Tremblay-en-France, Neuilly-sur-Marne and Aubervilliers, the soldiers came across a real Ali Baba cave.
In particular, they found more than 16,000 euros of stolen goods, along with more than 150 boxes of household appliances, cosmetics and new clothes.
Weapons and cocaine found
More worrying, the gendarmes found the complete kit of the perfect criminal with two revolvers, a shotgun, all with their ammunition, two hoods, a tear gas canister, a bulletproof vest, a pair of walkie-talkies, two pairs handcuffs and two “security” armbands.
They also got their hands on 8,755 euros in cash and nearly 544 g of cocaine.
"This represents more than 30,000 euros for resale," said a source familiar with the matter.
This investigation starts from a theft of 16 boxes of small appliances during a July night in a parking lot in Saint-Mard.
The property attack group then looks into the case, launches numerous investigations and manages to trace it back to this gang.
“They always acted the same way,” says the same source.
At night, they visited heavy goods vehicles in parking lots and rest areas, most often in areas with logistics warehouses, cutting the tarpaulins.
»A quick inspection of the goods to know if they left with it or not and voila.
The custody of the four suspects could last up to 96 hours, the thefts having been committed by an organized gang.
