Stolen luxury cars

Gang with “mafia-like structures” busted

Family meeting before the start of the trial: the accused Georgian "did not need to earn money in this way".(Bild: HS, Krone KREATIV)

12 Georgians stole hundreds of luxury cars, manipulated the chassis numbers, drove adventurous routes across Europe and sold the cars. One of the masterminds is in custody in Eisenstadt, awaiting trial.

When four cars are traded for a total of 440,000 euros, it is relatively easy to determine the average value. Sounds like a lot, but it is - especially when you know that someone is missing out on the luxury cars.

A 12-strong Georgian gang is said to have stolen hundreds of cars on a large scale, mainly in Germany and the Czech Republic, swapped the license plates and then sold the cars for a profit in Central Europe.

Numerous members of this criminal organization are already in prison, including the 43-year-old, who is being taken from custody in Eisenstadt for trial at the regional court.

"There is war in Ukraine!"
"I had two restaurants and two houses in Ukraine. I earned 20,000 dollars a month. I don't need this," says the Georgian. The judge wants to know if he can prove all this. "There's a war going on in Ukraine!"

The man was wanted via an international arrest warrant and was arrested at Barcelona airport. If he had not entered Austria via Nickelsdorf in one of the four cars mentioned above, he would probably now be questioned in Germany. "The problem is that we have photos of the cars crossing the border, but not of the drivers," says the investigating officer in charge of the file. "But using a time-travel diagram, we can draw conclusions that this man was involved."

Oppressive evidence
According to Europol, the accused belongs to "the middle level in this mafia structure". The international evidence is overwhelming. While his defense lawyer pleads for his release, the public prosecutor wants to hear the testimony of an accomplice who was convicted in Germany - to find out what function the 43-year-old actually held.

So the trial is adjourned.