ELAS proceeded to dismantle a gang whose members committed car thefts and, after disassembling them, offered their parts for sale to a legitimate business active in the sale of used spare parts, with the aim of obtaining an illegal financial benefit.

On Thursday (28-9) in Heraklion, 2 people, members of a gang, were arrested by the police of the Immediate Action, while their accomplices are being sought.

A case file was filed against them – as the case may be – for distinguished thefts by complicity and by continuation, arson by negligence and violation of the legislation on the prevention and suppression of money laundering from criminal activities.

The action of the gang was revealed after a fire broke out in the basement of a building, which they used as a warehouse for stolen vehicles. Specifically, the police officers who rushed to the scene, after informing the Immediate Action Center about a fire in the building, found a number of stolen vehicles with license plates and spare parts in the basement and led the accused to the headquarters of the North-Eastern Attica Security Sub-Directorate, which was taken into custody.

According to ELAS, after a combined evaluation of information data, the action of a gang that committed car thefts from various regions of Attica, whose components were resold as used spare parts, was ascertained.

As for their modus operandi, the gang members, after removing the cars, took them to a warehouse of a legitimate company that was active in the sale of used parts, which they used as a “showcase”.

There they disassembled the vehicles and then, after removing their parts, made them available for sale to the used parts business.

As noted by the Police, the gang had developed an infrastructure consisting of know-how for:

• the removal of stolen vehicles, which seem to have been taken off with particular ease throughout the day;

• their disassembly workshop and

• the development of a spare parts distribution network, in order to transform the stolen goods into a financial benefit for them.

From a search of the company’s warehouse and in their possession, among other things, the following were found and confiscated:

•13 cars, 10 of which have been identified as stolen,

•plenty of accessories, such as frames, car doors, console, 6 lights,

• 3 motor vehicle licenses,

•2 license plates and

• the sum of 875 euros.

12 car thefts from different areas of Attica were solved.

Those arrested were taken to the Criminal Prosecutor of Athens, while investigations continue to identify and arrest the other members of the criminal group.