Four Ukrainian robbers tried for motorway thefts on French highways
Four Ukrainians suspected of robbing lorries whilst in motion were arrested in early October. According to the Béthune public prosecutor's office, they are believed to have stolen over 200,000 euros worth of multimedia goods.
Acrobatic theft technique on motorways
Four Ukrainians were arrested in early October after allegedly robbing heavy goods vehicles travelling at full speed on French motorways, according to BFM TV. The Béthune public prosecutor's office revealed on Tuesday that their method, considered "quite rare", consisted of entering a truck's trailer from a chase vehicle positioned behind it, transferring merchandise, then jumping onto the bonnet at a constant speed of 80 to 90 km/h.
The reported losses exceeded 200,000 euros, according to prosecutor Étienne Thieffry. The thefts targeted mainly high-value multimedia products on direct journeys without stops, between logistics bases located notably at Hénin-Beaumont (Pas-de-Calais) and shops in the Grand Est and Normandy regions.
Investigation and arrest
The public prosecutor's office had launched its investigation following complaints filed in late 2025 and early 2026 by several transport companies and a retail chain. Conducted in cooperation with Ukrainian authorities, technical and physical surveillance enabled the suspects to be located in the outskirts of Angers, near a warehouse already targeted for similar incidents.
The four men were arrested last Thursday during a joint operation by the Central Office for Combating Mobile Crime (OCLDI) and the Maine-et-Loire gendarmerie group. A saloon car used in the thefts was seized.
Proceedings and sentence
The suspects, put under formal investigation for aggravated theft, aggravated damage and criminal association, were to be tried on Wednesday 7 October in immediate appearance proceedings at Béthune. They faced up to seven years' imprisonment and 100,000 euros in fines. In 2022, the Paris criminal court had sentenced around twenty Romanian robbers using a similar technique to sentences ranging from eighteen months to six years' imprisonment.
Source: BFM TV