"
In this kind of business, we decided to use investigative methods dedicated until recently to organized crime but on less experienced thugs, and it pays,
" comments Commissioner David Brugère, of the Sûreté. Departmental (SD) of Marseille.
As La Provence details this Monday, June 7, two people have been arrested in recent days for having stolen 22 vehicles, including 20 BMW GS (1200 or 1250cm3), a particularly popular high-end motorcycle, which is one of the best-selling models. in the world.
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The case was reportedly opened at the end of 2020 by the Marseille police, an owner having filed a complaint for the theft of his motorcycle.
Investigators from the SD, gathered in a
recently created
“
cars and burglaries
” group, then decided to work on the case and made the connection with other thefts concerning this same model.
The disappearances took place in the 8th and 9th arrondissements of the Marseille city, as
Commissioner Olivier Girardot, number 2 of the SD,
clarified in
La Provence
.
The modus operandi was then brought to light by the investigators: two people, always the same, first patrolled by car, and spotted any motorcycles to be stolen. Once their target had been spotted, they returned to their base, located in La Cayolle, on the edge of the Calanques park. Then set off again, dressed in black, on a Triumph motorcycle bearing a false registration. Once back near the BMW to fly, "
it only lasted a few moments
", according to a source close to the file: "
either the motorcycle was not attached and they were breaking the handlebars, or it was and there they drew their small thermal disc cutter and cut the disc lock or the anti-theft chain
".
The flights could take place in the middle of the day.
One of the two thugs then settled on the motorcycle, pushed by the other, who was pressing on the footrest of the machine, a particularly dangerous merry-go-round, the BMW GS weighing around 250kg.
Resold 2000 to 3000 euros to a receiver
The vehicle was then stored in a box in Cayolle, then two mechanics came to repair the Neiman or the parts damaged during the operation. The stolen motorcycles, (worth around 20,000 euros in stores), were sold between 2,000 and 3,000 euros to a Comorian in the 12th arrondissement of the city. The latter concealed it. In total, 20 motorcycles would have been stolen, to the point that a telephone tapping would have made it possible to listen to the thieves joking among themselves, no longer finding a target in the neighborhood: "
There are no more GS, we have stolen them all!"
". They also allegedly stole two maxi-scooters.
The time to accumulate the evidence to dismantle the entire system, the Marseille police have even chosen to renounce flagrant offenses during prosecutions launched by the BAC. Investigators then launched the arrest of the two criminals, aged 27 and 34. The two accomplice mechanics as well as the receiver were also arrested. During the haul, searches were carried out as far as the Comoros and Mayotte, but nothing was found. On the other hand, motorcycles were found in storage boxes in Montpellier. 70,000 euros of criminal assets were seized. The two main thieves were indicted and imprisoned. One of them had just bought a BMW GS, legally ...
