Several Car Thieves Held in Joint Latvian and Lithuanian Police Operation

RIGA, Feb 27 (LETA) - In a joint operation, Latvian and Lithuanian law enforcement officers have busted a car theft ring whose members had been stealing BMW autos, LETA was told at the Latvian State Police.

After conducting an extensive investigation, Latvian investigators traced down a group of persons who had been stealing cars in Riga and its area for the last couple of years. The car thieves used the cover of darkness to steal mainly BMW vehicles without additional alarm systems.

According to police information, the stolen vehicles were kept at rented garages in various suburbs of Riga. The criminals changed the cars' registration plates to sell them in Lithuania. The stolen autos were delivered to buyers in Siauliai County who quickly dismantled the vehicles and sent the parts to other storehouses within a day.

This week, Latvian police officers caught the suspected car thieves as they were driving a stolen car to a rented garage in Salaspils region outside Riga. The two suspects, born in 1992 and 1995, were already known to the law enforcement authorities for previous property crimes.

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