Millions in damage

153 expensive bicycles stolen through roof hatches

Remorse and confessions did not help

(Bild: Constantin Handl, Krone KREATIV)

Two Romanians received long prison sentences on Tuesday. The professional thieves had stolen 153 high-priced bicycles in a total of seven break-ins - the loot was worth around 910,000 euros. Confessions and remorse were in vain: the younger man was sentenced to five and a half years, his accomplice to five years behind bars. 

The two Romanians sat with their heads bowed in Wels Regional Court. The younger one (29) appeared composed, his accomplice (30) almost desperate and spoke in a whisper. The duo allegedly broke into seven bicycle stores in several districts and stole 153 pieces of the high-priced goods through roof hatches. The loot was worth almost 910,000 euros, plus around 80,000 euros in property damage.

Big haul, hardly any profit
However, the two defendants were hardly able to convert anything into money: Most of the stolen goods had "disappeared" or been misappropriated on the way to Romania, the defendants stated on the record. It was just enough to feed their families. 

"Yes, it was risky"
The operation failed mainly because of the delivery drivers: "We always chose drivers on Facebook who were going to Romania anyway," the first defendant revealed. They would have sent them the GPS coordinates of the bicycles hidden in the woods. "But that makes them vulnerable to blackmail and vulnerable when they hire complete strangers," the judge was surprised. "Yes, it was risky," replied the first defendant.

Multi-year prison sentences
The verdict was handed down quickly on Tuesday: despite fully confessing, the younger man was sentenced to five and a half years behind bars, the older man to five years. The sentences are not yet final.