Franco-Belgian jewellery and gold trafficking network dismantled: 19 arrests after ten months of investigation
A network of receivers operating between Seine-Saint-Denis and Antwerp has been dismantled. Nineteen people have been arrested in France and Belgium.
Franco-Belgian network for receiving stolen gold and jewellery dismantled after ten months of investigation
According to franceinfo.fr, French investigators brought an end last week to a vast receiving network active between Seine-Saint-Denis and Belgium. In total, nineteen people have been arrested — nine in France and ten in Belgium — in an operation conducted after ten months of investigations.
The seized haul comprises dozens of luxury watches, including Rolex and Cartier timepieces, precious stones, gold bars as well as all the equipment used to melt down precious metals.
From Sevran to Antwerp: a well-oiled operation
The starting point of the trafficking operation was located in Sevran, in Seine-Saint-Denis. From this commune, two families ensured the transport of jewellery stolen during burglaries committed in France on a weekly basis. The goods were transported by car to Charleroi, Belgium, before being handed over to an intermediary responsible for conveying them to Antwerp.
"There were two families involved. Each family made two to three trips per week towards Belgium. Each time, each of the families had two to three kilos of gold to resell to their Belgian reseller. We were able to document more than 135 journeys," detailed Colonel Denis Hebinger, commanding officer of the Versailles investigations unit.
A discrete receiving operation in the diamond district
In Antwerp, the gold was melted down in the diamond district, within a discrete apartment with no commercial shopfront. Belgian investigators found six kilos of ingots on the premises as well as all the equipment necessary for melting down jewellery.
"In Antwerp, these gold dealers were not very visible. They did not have shops, it was in offices. The stolen jewellery was transformed, melted down and resold on the market," indicated Christophe Aerts, spokesperson for the Antwerp public prosecutor's office.
The apartment was located by a team on site on Wednesday, 3 June.
Charged with receiving stolen goods and money laundering in an organised gang
The nineteen people arrested are charged with receiving stolen goods and money laundering in an organised gang, among other charges. The trafficking operation is said to have generated several tens of millions of euros worth of stolen goods in just a few months, according to information gathered during the investigation.
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)