Spanish police dismantle a network that stole cars in less than a minute in Bulgaria and sold them in Spain
Seven people have been arrested for stealing vehicles and altering their identification elements for sale on the Spanish market. The agents have carried out vehicle controls in Madrid and Catalonia and have confiscated ten of them valued at around 350,000 euros. Those arrested obtained between 30,000 and 40,000 euros for the sale of each car on the second-hand market.
The investigation began last December
The Spanish police started the investigation last December, when they received information from the Interior Attaché of the Bulgarian Embassy in Spain, in which they were informed about the presence in the Spanish car park of vehicles that had been stolen in Bulgaria, despite the fact that their origin appeared to be legal.
A criminal organization of Bulgarian origin specializing in the theft of medium-high-end vehicles
The agents verified the existence of a highly specialized criminal organization of Bulgarian origin dedicated to the theft of high-end mid-range vehicles in their country of origin and their export to Spain. They used advanced technological tools that allowed them to take any vehicle in less than a minute.
The vehicles received a new identity
Then they gave them a new identity. They tampered with all identifying elements such as the chassis number, builder tags and even the vehicle’s digital records. They prepared the false documentation of the vehicle using original documentary media stolen in other countries such as Austria, on which they recorded the false data.
The vehicles were registered again in Bulgaria and transferred to Spain
Once the vehicles had a new identity, they were registered again in Bulgaria, as if it were a vehicle exported from a third country and transferred to Spain. The criminal organization had a logistics branch in the State in charge of registering the vehicles and introducing them to the Spanish market as used vehicles.
The manipulations were very elaborate and the vehicles went unnoticed in the technical controls
Since the manipulations were very elaborate, the vehicles went unnoticed in all the technical controls carried out during the various registration processes. Even important dealers acquired some. Among the seven arrested are the leaders of the organization, while investigative arrangements continue to be made in collaboration with the Bulgarian authorities to locate new vehicles.
