EU – Baltic States, Legislation, Lithuania, Transport

In response to a call for legal assistance from France, 11 persons were detained on the suspicion of stealing 41 trucks and semitrailers in 2014-2015 in France, mainly in eastern regions.

"The damage caused was over 4 million euros, calculating the trucks with their cargo. Eleven persons were detained, 15 searches were conducted and resulted in substantial evidence," Kaunas Prosecutor Virginijus Mizaras told a news conference on Monday.

The authorities say the suspects are aged 20-50, some of them are foreigners, however, the majority are residents of the Kaunas city and district – they were detained in Lithuania. Some of the persons were arrested in other countries of the European Union (EU).

Coordinated by the EU's police bureau Europol, the investigation was conducted for about a year.

In France, the persons will face charges of stealing in an organized group and participation in an organized group.

According to the investigation, the thieves mainly targeted Volvo and Scania trucks, some of them containing cargo. The vehicles were later hidden in enclosed facilities in remote areas.

Lithuanian authorities have listed the work as one of the biggest operations to combat organized vehicle thefts of the past few years.