Euro police bust sports car thieves

Police have arrested 75 suspected car thieves and recovered more than 160 high-end sports cars in an operation spanning at least four countries, policing agency Europol said on Tuesday.

“At the moment we have recovered more than 160 cars and arrested 75 people,” the Hague-based agency’s spokesman Soren Pedersen told AFP, saying it involved brand names like Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Ferrari.

Dubbed “Operation Cycar”, police focused on car trafficking networks specialised in disguising stolen vehicles by giving them new serial numbers and selling them elsewhere in Europe and Africa.

Police seized stolen cars and motorbikes and made arrests mainly in Italy, Portugal, Romania and Spain, Europol said.

“The challenge for police, customs and border guard experts dealing with international vehicle crime is to get answers quickly and to speak to experts in partner countries that understand the tactics and tricks (used to) disguise a stolen car,” the law-enforcement organisation added.