Organised cattle thefts in Brandenburg: Police seek blue articulated lorry
German police have achieved a breakthrough in investigations into a series of cattle thefts in Brandenburg. In the latest incident during the night of 12 May, thieves stole 32 cattle from Grano. The perpetrators may have used drones for reconnaissance and sedative agents for the animals.
Organised cattle thefts in Brandenburg: Police seek blue articulated lorry
Police in Brandenburg have gained new insights into investigations of a series of mass cattle thefts. Following the most recent incident during the night of 12 May, in which 32 cattle were stolen from a farm in Grano in Spree-Neiße district, witnesses were questioned.
The witnesses saw a blue articulated lorry with a specialised livestock trailer near the targeted farm. Police are now evaluating surveillance footage from Grano, Schenkendöbern and along federal roads 97, 112 and 115 to locate the vehicle and reconstruct the thieves' escape route. They have also made an appeal to professional drivers who were in the region during this period.
Investigators believe that a highly specialised, organised gang is behind the thefts. The perpetrators could sell the stolen livestock abroad, as selling in Germany would be virtually impossible. Among the stolen animals were animals of a rare conservation breed, which are barely saleable in Germany and many other EU states, as they would be too easy to trace.
The investigation shows that the thieves operate with extreme professionalism. According to suspicion, they use drones to scout farms in advance. In this way, they explore the terrain, the stable layout, the location of pastures and the owners' habits. Moreover, much suggests that the perpetrators administer sedative agents to the animals before the theft, so that noise does not wake the farmers and loading proceeds more smoothly.
Brandenburg's interior minister reminded participants at a press conference on one of the targeted farms in mid-May that the region had already struggled with a similar wave of cattle thefts between 2015 and 2017. At that time suspicion fell on Eastern European countries, and investigations led to the dismantling of a Polish gang. The minister assured that police would not only track down the perpetrators of the current thefts and dismantle the responsible groups, but would also take measures to make life difficult for copycat offenders.
Police are conducting intensified checks of livestock transporters jointly with transport supervision, not only in Brandenburg but in all border regions.
Source: Farmer.pl
Source: Google News PL — Crime (pl)