A cross-border criminal network responsible for dozens of thefts in Switzerland has been dismantled in neighbouring France, reported RTS. The investigation, led jointly by Swiss and French authorities with support from Europol, Eurojust and Fedpol, targeted an organised group involved in stealing luxury vehicles and burglarising gun shops across several Swiss cantons.
The main criminal proceedings are being conducted in France, where coordinated arrests have been made. Swiss investigations, meanwhile, helped to establish the scale of the operation and the central role played by those who issued orders, according to prosecutors and police in the canton of Neuchâtel.
The group operated as a structured criminal enterprise. It began with the theft of high-powered motorcycles, then expanded into luxury cars and, later, burglaries of armouries. The French inquiry, overseen by an investigating magistrate, uncovered a clear hierarchy of organisers, logisticians and teams of thieves—many of whom were recruited via social-media platforms.
Initial intelligence shared by Swiss authorities in June 2024 led French investigators to teams based in the Pays de Gex, near the Swiss border. Some of the organisers were directing operations from prison; others were based abroad. Swiss police later established that the same ringleaders were behind two major series of luxury-car thefts.
In total, investigators identified 56 cases of vehicle theft, including both attempted and completed crimes, spread across multiple cantons. Between late July and mid-October this year, the network also organised burglaries of gun shops. Twelve such cases—again, attempted and successful—have been attributed to the group in Aargau, Basel-Land, Schwyz, Vaud, Valais and Zurich.
Officials stress that close cooperation between cantonal police forces, Fedpol and their French counterparts was essential in linking the various strands of the investigation.
At street level, the crimes relied on expendable labour. According to police, young recruits—sometimes minors—were lured via encrypted messaging apps, such as Telegram, with promises of easy money. Many had no driving licence, little experience and a poor grasp of the risks involved. They were used to move stolen vehicles or carry out simple tasks, while the organisers remained at a distance.
Dismantling such networks, police concede, rarely brings lasting closure. Remove one group and another often emerges. The latest operation may have disrupted criminal activity for now. But few expect it to be the last.
More on this:
RTS article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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