On Tuesday last week, the Polish leader of a gang engaged in thefts from trucks in Germany was arrested in Mallorca by the National Police.
In a joint operation with the Landeskriminalamt, Germany's State Criminal Police Office, searches were carried out at a bicycle rental shop in Can Pastilla and at his home. Among items seized were 96 bikes with a combined value of around 115,000 euros. He ran the shop, and it is suspected that the bikes for rent had been stolen in Germany.
The gang targeted trucks parked at motorway services. Routes and the type of merchandise were studied, and there would then be reconnaissance of motorway parking areas. The gang had equipment for breaking in to the trucks and transport for moving stolen goods to storage facilities in Poland. The goods were then sold via the internet or through outlets.
The thefts were significant in terms of quantity and value. They included, as examples, boxes of toys worth 32,000 euros, vacuum cleaners worth around 41,000 euros, and televisions with a value of 64,000 euros.