There was a scam behind some tempting online sales offers for (stolen) SUVs posted on Facebook pages and a well-known portal.
The traffic police of Sassari discovered it by reporting two unemployed men aged 30 and 32, residents of Sorso (Sassari), accused of fraud and money laundering of five cars, in collaboration with three other people living in the Naples area. The investigations, started in 2019, concluded a few days ago, after the officers sifted through thousands of ads published on the internet.
Some SUVs, later found to be stolen, had been sold at overly competitive prices to some unsuspecting buyers in the Sassari area. The adhesive plates on the cars had been replaced, with data from identical vehicles circulating in other countries, and the chassis number had been re-stamped.
The nationalization procedures for SUVs were entrusted to agencies and motor vehicle registration offices on the peninsula, with foreign vehicle circulation documents, with the issuing of new license plates. Once 'regularized', the cars, usually stolen in Italy, arrived in Sardinia to be stored in a site on the outskirts of Sorso.
The five machines involved in the money laundering and fraud have been seized, pending their return to their rightful owners.
Article published on 15 December 2020 - 14:36
