Sold for 50 euros each

Ex-employee stole 1909 pairs of Atomic skis

The series of thefts at the ski factory in Altenmarkt went on for two years

(Bild: Gerhard Schiel/GERHARD SCHIEL)

A serious theft of a curious kind will be the subject of a court case in Salzburg: according to the indictment, an ex-employee (57) of ski manufacturer Atomic stole at least 1909 pairs of skis and turned them into money. Instead of being put in the container for rejects, the skis ended up in the employee's car.

The skis were actually intended as scrap and should have been destroyed. That was also the job of the man at the ski factory: to dispose of rejects in the container provided for this purpose. However, the Austrian with Bosnian roots simply put the sports equipment in his car and sold it on to a number of people: mostly for 50 euros a pair. According to the indictment, he also took 108 binding plates for 1,200 euros and 1,500 ski tips for 1,000 euros.

600 pairs sold to fences
The total value of the stolen goods amounts to around 97,000 euros. He sold around 1600 pairs of skis. Officers seized another 309 pairs at his home. The main offender is said to have sold around 600 pairs of skis for 30,000 euros to a Bulgarian man (72) who was also charged with receiving stolen goods. The 57-year-old had started his criminal sideline in August 2021.

In mid-November 2023, just over two years later, the case was uncovered. After losing his job, he will now have to answer to a judge. He is being defended by lawyer Kurt Jelinek.