International Ring Stealing Construction Equipment for Romania Dismantled in France

A sophisticated international ring that specialized in stealing construction equipment and exporting it to Romania has been dismantled by French authorities. The investigation, spearheaded by the specialized interregional jurisdiction (Jirs) of Marseille, uncovered a scheme that defrauded approximately fifteen victims across France, causing an estimated financial loss of 1.3 million euros.

The modus operandi involved a group of Romanian nationals who allegedly rented construction machinery using fake identities. These stolen vehicles were then loaded onto trucks and transported towards Italy, with the ultimate destination being Romania. The investigation began after the discovery of two construction vehicles on a plot of land in Orgon, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department.

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rented by a construction company

Investigators traced the fraudulent rentals back to late 2024, with similar operations reported in various regions of France, including Haute-Savoie, Haute-Garonne, Bas-Rhin, Bouches-du-Rhône, Nord, Vosges, and Seine-et-Marne. The scale of the operation and the geographical spread highlight the extensive network of the criminal group.

On January 20, gendarmes from the Salon-de-Provence research brigade arrested three Romanian individuals, aged between 30 and 50. They have been indicted for organized fraud, forgery and use of forged documents, and criminal association. A judge has placed them in provisional detention as investigations continue to identify potential additional victims and apprehend other members of the ring.

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The investigations on rogatory commission confirmed that the machines rented under false identities were then sent to Romania.