Overview
- Five people were arrested in Île-de-France, Eure-et-Loir and Gard, with coordinated operations also conducted in Italy, according to the gendarmerie.
- Authorities seized six vehicles, more than €100,000 including roughly €40,000 in cash, luxury goods and electronic devices valued at about €1 million.
- Three suspects, including an alleged 47-year-old organizer, were indicted and placed in provisional detention.
- The inquiry began in September 2023 after the IRCGN flagged a surge in thefts of Japanese-brand cars and was run by the national cyber unit under the Paris prosecutor’s cybercrime section.
- Investigators say artisan devices built from repurposed speakers were sold for thousands of euros via encrypted messaging and circulated in 17 EU countries and beyond, a connection disputed by a defense lawyer who says no specific theft has been tied to the seized items.