In 2011, Border Police detected 358 vehicles which were registered stolen from abroad.
In comparison to the same period of last year when 287 vehicles were detected, the number of detected stolen vehicles increased by 24,7%.
Furthermore, the main supplier of stolen vehicles crossing the Romanian borders is Italy followed by Germany and Hungary and the persons involved are Romanian, Bulgarian, Moldovan, Ukrainian, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, Italian, Albanian, Syrian, Turkish and Serbian citizens.
Statistics
This year, trafficking with luxury vehicles stolen from abroad was under the focus of the cross-border underworld, as it is an illegal activity which brings substantial financial benefits to the network members specialized in this field and extremely well organized at the level of many states (from Western to Eastern Europe).
From the beginning of the year, Border Police detected in the responsibility area 358 vehicles which were registered as having been stolen abroad: 268 vehicles, 29 cargo vehicles, 11 vans, 41 motor cycles and 9 auto trucks.
In the similar period of 2010, 287 vehicles were detected as stolen from abroad, ascertaining an increase by 24,7% in the number of detected vehicles.
For the identification and storage of the vehicles registered as having been stolen abroad, under the direct supervision of the Prosecutor’s offices, border policemen cooperated with the similar structures from the E.U. member states, carrying out an operational exchange of data and information through the Contact Points and Centers (Oradea, Galati etc).
In the field of countering trafficking with stolen vehicles, border policemen drawn up 231 criminal files, the persons involved being Romanian, Bulgarian, Moldovan, Ukrainian, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, Italian, Albanian, Syrian, Turkish and Serbian citizens.
Organization of traffickers’ networks
Following the analyses carried out by border policemen in the cases detected in the competence area it was established that in general the traffickers’ networks are organized on two types specialized in stealing luxury vehicles and in stealing middles class vehicles.
In their turn, these two types are subdivided in several action groups with the following hierarchy:
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recognition group - identifies the vehicles corresponding to the "request",
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technical group - forges documents,
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transportation group - crosses the vehicles over the borders,
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capitalization group - sells the vehicles,
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surveillance group - has as task the surveillance and carrying out of all stages of the illegal act.
Modus Operandi and routes
As modus operandi, the analyses indicated the following practices:
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insurance fraud - with the owner’s consent, the vehicles are transported in another country, "laundered" through successive sales and subsequently the owner declares its theft;
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ordered theft, embezzlement or fraud of the rental companies - a poor persons is given money in order to accept to open a bank account on his / her name and to obtain a credit card on the basis of which the concerned persons rents the vehicle from the rental companies.
The routes used by traffickers are as a rule oriented from the Western countries towards the Easter-European and C.I.S. countries:
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Italy - Austria - Hungary - Romania;
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Germany - Austria - Hungary - Romania - Moldova and Ukraine;
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Italy - Serbia - Romania - Republic of Moldova - Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
The main "supplier" of stolen vehicles crossing the Romanian borders is Italy, followed by Germany and Hungary.
In most of the cases, the drivers of the cars stated during investigations that they did not know that the vehicles were registered as having been stolen, they were "bona fide buyers". Other stated that they received an amount of money (usually up to 500 Euro) in order to transport the vehicles to Romania and they did not know the car had been stolen.
Following a study of the offer and request on the black market, it was ascertained that the most searched for autos are BMW and Mercedes, and as regards the middle category vehicles Renault and Fiat are on top of the list.
Romanian Border Police shall continue - independently or in cooperation with other competent agencies from the country or abroad - to adopt consistent measures in order to counter this cross-border phenomenon, which prejudices both the national economy and bona fide persons.
Out of the significant cases registered in 2011 in the field of preventing and countering trafficking with stolen vehicles we present you the following:
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Mercedes S320 vehicle stolen from Italy and detected in Varsand
Border policemen from Arad detected two men with double citizenship, which intended to introduce to Romania a Mercedes S320, with an approximate value of 80,000 Euro, which had been registered as stolen from Italy two weeks before.
On 06.12.2011, around 03.00, in B.C.P. Varsand two men with Romanian and Moldovan citizenship, Postica A. aged 25 and Badea A. aged 34, tried to enter the country with a Mercedes S320, with Romanian registration numbers.
Upon border check, the driver, Postica A., presented a Romanian registration certificate which indicated that the vehicle was made in 2008.
Within the checks, it was ascertained that several spare parts (belts, cables, plastic components) had the inscription 2011 as manufacturing date, reason for which the vehicle was driven to the C.I.B.P. Arad in order to continue the investigations.
Further checks showed that the chassis number had been modified and that the vehicle was actually produced in 2011.
From the checks performed through Oradea Contact Point and Interpol National Bureau the policemen suspicions were confirmed, proving that the vehicle had been stolen from Italy on 27.11.2011.
The concerned persons stated that they had received the vehicle from an unknown person and they had to transport it to Bucharest where they were to be contacted in order to hand it over.
The vehicle with an approximate value of 80,000 Euro, was held in C.I.B.P. Arad, until the end of investigations.
Border policemen adopted the measure of investigating the persons for driving on public roads a vehicle with false registration numbers and theft withhold.
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Two industrial vehicles suspected of having been stolen were detected by border policemen from Maramures
Border policemen from Maramures, under the coordination of D.I.I.C.O.T. prosecutors - Central Structure and with the support of the colleagues within Bihor C.I.B.P. detected and detained two industrial vehicles amounting to approximately 120,000 de Euro, suspect of having been stolen abroad.
Based on some information detained at the level of C.I.B.P. Maramures an action was organized, under the coordination of D.I.I.C.O.T. prosecutor - Central Structure with the support of colleagues within C.I.B.P. Bihor, for the purpose detecting suspect industrial vehicles suspect of having been stolen abroad.
Thus, on the 23 of November 2011, a mixed team stopped for control within the radius of Bihor county, a road train in whose trailer border policemen discovered two tractors belonging to Marcel T., for which the driver could not present an origin document.
The checks established that the two tractors are registered as stolen in Italy on 12.11.2011.
In this case, a criminal file was drawn up and Marcel T. is investigated for committing the crime of theft accomplice.
The tractors amounting to 120,000 Euro are under police storage until the end of investigations.
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Two vehicles and a trailer stolen from eu member states detected at the Romanian border
Romanian border policemen detected in 24 hours, two Audi Q7 vehicles and a Schmitz trailer, registered as stolen in Russia, France and Slovenia.
On 13.11.2011, around 08.30, the Bulgarian citizen Stefan P.S., aged 36, presented himself in B.C.P. Zimnicea, Teleorman county, on the entry way driving an AUDI Q7 registered in the Republic of Bulgaria. He was accompanied by his brother Stoyan P.S., who was the manager of the company from Sofia holding the vehicle.
Upon border check, the Border Police found that the vehicle was registered in the data base as stolen from Russia in June 2010.
On 14 November 2011, around 03.00, in B.C.P. Petea, Satu Mare county, the Serbian citizen Dragan S., aged 36, presented for border check. He was driving an Audi Q7, with Serbian registration numbers.
Upon border control, our workers ascertained that the vehicle was registered as stolen from France in September 2009. The driver stated that he bought the car from a Serbian company for 24,600 euro and he did not know it had been stolen.
In both cases border policemen drawn up preliminary documents for instituting the juridical proceedings for theft withholding, crime foreseen and sanctioned in the Criminal Code Article 221 reported through Article 208, paragraph 1 and 4. The vehicles are stored within the premises of the Border Police Sectors until the investigations are final.
On the 13th of November 2012, around 18.00, the Slovenian citizen Alojz K., aged 50 presented himself in Halmeu B.C.P., Satu Mare county. He was driving an assembly of vehicles made up of tractor unit Mercedes Benz and a Schmitz trailer, both registered in Slovenia.
During the specific formalities, border policemen ascertained that the trailer was searched for by the Slovenian authorities for seizure.
Furthermore, upon checking the international insurance (green card type) for the Mercedes Benz, border policemen noticed the document was not authentic, containing several changes. The driver stated that he was to drive the assembly from Slovenia to Ukraine for the company where he was employed.
In this case, preliminary documents for instituting the criminal proceedings for theft withholding and use of forgery were drawn up. Further, the trailer is stored at B.C.P. Halmeu until the investigations are final.
