Brief: Romanians arrested in €1m agro-chem theft bust

Romanian nationals suspected of having stolen agro-chemicals and agricultural seeds worth over €1m have been taken into custody.

In the early hours of 28 November, seven members of the group were arrested in Romania, alongside two other members in Germany and Belgium, by French, Romanian and German authorities, supported by Europol.

Earlier this year, French police initiated an investigation into a mobile organised crime group that was stealing various ‘phytosanitary’ products such as pesticides in Alsace, France. It is believed the stolen goods were then temporarily stocked in Germany, before being sold in Romania.

A 2015 report suggested that counterfeit and otherwise illegal pesticides represent a sizeable chunk of the EU market and are putting consumers' health at risk.