Eight people under investigation for theft and money laundering involving over €600 in the trucking gang.

A veritable organized crime ring centered on the theft of heavy vehicles, semi-trailers, and containers loaded with goods. This is what the Carabinieri of the Alessandria Operations Unit, who executed a precautionary detention order issued by the investigating judge of the Alessandria Court at the request of the Prosecutor's Office, reconstructed.

A total of eight people are under investigation for various charges of theft, receiving stolen goods, and money laundering. Precautionary measures have been taken against three of them: two have been sent to prison, while one

A third person was placed under house arrest with the application of an electronic bracelet.
The operation began in the early hours of the morning and involved the provinces of Milan, Varese, Lodi, Pavia, and Naples, with the involvement of military personnel from the respective Provincial Commands.

The 100 euro heist that triggered the investigations

The investigation began in June 2025, following the theft of a semi-trailer and a container containing hides intended for industrial processing, with an estimated value of approximately 100 euros.

The vehicle was stolen while parked in the forecourt of a service station in Alessandria. Since that incident, investigators have gradually reconstructed the activities of a group that, according to the investigation, operated with an organized structure and a proven modus operandi.

The main targets were tractors, semi-trailers, and containers containing various types of goods, stolen primarily in the provinces of Alessandria, Novara, and Pavia.

Stolen trucks and counterfeit license plates

One of the key elements of the investigation concerns the system used to carry out the thefts. According to investigators' reconstruction, the group allegedly used stolen tractor units, which were then fitted with counterfeit or altered license plates.

In this way, the vehicles could be used to reach the trailers left parked and proceed with their hookup and subsequent theft, reducing the risk of being detected while on the move.

Once removed, the cargoes would have followed a pre-established route to the Campania area, where, according to the prosecution's line of reasoning, the goods would have been destined for the illicit market.
The overall financial damage reconstructed by investigators exceeds 600 thousand euros.

The route of the stolen goods towards Campania

The transfer of the stolen goods to Campania is one of the factors that led the operation to extend to the province of Naples. The investigation has highlighted connections between Piedmont and the provinces of Lombardy and Campania.

The investigations would have allowed them to outline a chain that included the theft of the vehicles, the transport of the containers and goods, and their subsequent destination in the illegal circuit.
An activity that, according to investigators, was not limited to isolated incidents, but followed recurring operational methods.

Burglary tools and money seized

During the operation, the Carabinieri also seized burglary tools, a multi-frequency scanner, a microcamera probe, and 10 euros in cash.
Material that, according to investigators, could be traced back to the group's preparatory and operational activities.

Two of those arrested were transferred to prisons in Busto Arsizio and Milan. A third suspect, identified in Romania, was placed under house arrest with an electronic bracelet after returning to Italy.

The investigation, coordinated by the Alessandria Public Prosecutor's Office, thus reveals an organization that allegedly turned the theft of heavy vehicles and their transported cargo into a fully-fledged criminal activity, with an operational framework capable of crossing multiple regions and even reaching the Campania region.