Eight people have been indicted for stealing around 70 motorcycles and ATVs in Dalarna and central Sweden. The vehicles, worth about five million kronor, were smuggled to Poland. The theft ring was uncovered thanks to a GPS tracker on a stolen ATV in Leksand.
The indictment was filed at Falu District Court on Wednesday as the result of a major investigation led by senior prosecutor Johan Knies. The suspects face charges for aggravated thefts of vehicles from areas including Dalarna, Gävle, Uppsala, Värmland, and Örebro. Six of the eight indicted individuals are detained.
The case broke open after a theft in Leksand where a man lost two motorcycles and an ATV equipped with a GPS tracker. The owner tracked the vehicle south through Poland, leading to a police raid that seized stolen vehicles.
DNA traces linked several suspects to the crimes. "I have never been involved in investigating so many similar thefts," says Johan Knies, who led the preliminary investigation.
The stolen vehicles were transported to Poland in an organized operation, according to the Prosecution Authority.
