The carabinieri of the provinces of Foggia and Campobasso have struck a decisive blow against organized trafficking in stolen vehicles. In a coordinated operation on Monday morning, 20 arrest warrants were executed against suspects from the province of Foggia. The charges are serious and range from gang theft to receiving stolen goods, money laundering and illegal possession of weapons.
The extensive investigation, led by the Foggia public prosecutor's office, uncovered the activities of two professional groups. They had specialized in stealing cars and commercial vehicles in various regions such as Apulia, Abruzzo, Molise, Marche and Campania.
Professional gangs operate nationwide
The stolen vehicles were then taken to the San Severo area to be dismantled in illegal workshops or sold on as a whole. Investigators were able to locate the hiding places and dismantling sites by monitoring workshops and scrap yards. To make it more difficult to identify the stolen cars, the perpetrators manipulated chassis numbers and license plates. The thieves, who often acted to order and were paid just 100 euros for a stolen vehicle, were equipped with modern technology such as special control units. What is explosive is that three of the main suspects had already been arrested in a similar operation in February 2024 and continued their criminal activities seamlessly after their release from house arrest.
Millions in damage and a human tragedy
The operation led to the investigation of a total of 28 vehicle thefts. The carabinieri had already seized 24 cars and eight vans as well as countless spare parts with a total value of around one million euros. In addition, a hall was confiscated in San Severo, which served as a central workshop for dismantling the vehicles. The investigations also brought to light a human tragedy: the fatal accident involving a minor from Foggia was reconstructed as the result of a car theft. The teenager had filmed himself live on a social network while driving the stolen car, lost control and had a fatal accident. Seven of the 20 suspects are in custody, four are under house arrest.
