Theft of 13 monkeys from Lescar zoo: three suspects under investigation
Three people have been arrested near Tarbes for the theft of 13 monkeys carried out at Lescar zoo on 26 October. Eleven of the primates have been found safe and sound; two remain missing.
Primate theft at Lescar: three placed under investigation following their arrest near Tarbes
According to ici.fr, two men were placed in provisional detention on Saturday 31 October following their police custody, suspected of having stolen 13 monkeys from Exotic Park in Lescar during the night of 24 to 25 October. The girlfriend of one of them is being prosecuted for receiving stolen goods and released under judicial supervision.
The three suspects were apprehended on Thursday 29 October in the early afternoon near Tarbes, during an operation mobilising gendarmes from Hautes-Pyrénées, the mobile gendarmerie squadron of Tarbes, the GIGN and helicopters. The two men are under investigation for theft in an organised gang, possession, transport and unauthorised transfer of non-domestic species, attempted extortion and criminal conspiracy.
Investigators rapidly established the profile of the suspects thanks to recordings from the zoo's surveillance cameras and geolocation data from their phones, which indicated that they had carried out reconnaissance at the site. The three people had also begun offering the primates for sale and demanded a ransom from the owner in exchange for their return.
Eleven of the thirteen stolen animals — eight marmosets and five tamarins — were found at the suspects' home in "stable health condition". Investigators are continuing their search to locate the two missing primates. They also seized 1,500 euros in small notes and five hunting rifles without valid permits during the searches.
The investigation is being directed by the public prosecutor of Bayonne, with the support of the Investigation Section of Pau and the French Office for Biodiversity. Judicial proceedings have been opened.
Source: TF1 Info