Four Romanians have been indicted for the theft, mainly in Brittany, of 400 catalytic converters, the total value of which is estimated at more than 100,000 euros, the Rennes prosecutor announced on Monday July 4 in a press release.
Four men of Romanian nationality, aged 33 to 51, were indicted on charges of "
organized gang theft
" and "
participation in a criminal association
".
Three of them were remanded in custody.
They face up to 15 years in prison.
Between October 2020 and May 2022, the Rennes research section and the Châteaulin research brigade identified the thefts of 400 catalytic converters, for a value of 105,000 euros, "
committed mainly in Brittany, but also in the Pays de la Loire region , Normandy and the Somme, to the detriment of automobile professionals in the Great West
“, indicates the prosecutor Philippe Astruc, specifying that the Jirs (Interregional specialized jurisdiction) of Rennes had been seized.
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The investigation began in September 2021 after the theft of three catalysts from a car garage in Landrevarzec (Finistère), allowing investigators to collect testimonies on a team of Romanian nationals "
based in Finistère and involved in a large number of facts of the same nature
,” the statement said.
On June 28, seven suspects were arrested in Finistère.
Three of them were later released.
The searches carried out that day led to the seizure of 89 catalytic converters from a scrap dealer, and 13 pots from the home of the alleged thieves in Carhaix-Plouguer, as well as cutting equipment.
