Enforcement op recovers stolen car parts in Bulgaria

Law enforcement agencies in Bulgaria and Germany have successfully recovered stolen car parts worth 'several million euros' that were taken from a logistics company facility earlier this year.

"Almost all" of the parts – for vehicles produced by an unidentified German car manufacturer – were recovered during a raid on a warehouse in the Bulgarian capital Sofia that took place on October 15, according to a statement from Europol, which helped to coordinate the operation.

During the robbery at the warehouse on Robert-Bosch-Strasse in Wallersdorf, Bavaria, in June, the perpetrators loaded the high-quality parts on lorries using forklifts, before transporting them abroad. At the time, a reward of up to €20,000 was offered for information that could lead to the recovery of the stolen items and the identification of those responsible.

According to Europol, German investigators had an initial breakthrough with the arrest and detention of two Romanian nationals – aged 43 and 26 – following a series of break-ins involving bakeries in Wallersdorf.

An investigation into those burglaries conducted by the Landshut Criminal Investigation Department uncovered evidence that one of the suspects, with the help of one other accomplice, was also involved in the break-in at the logistics company.

Europol was brought in at that point and facilitated information exchange between German and Bulgarian law enforcement, also arranging a meeting to prepare for the action day and financing the deployment of German officers.