The stolen phones were sent to Algeria by stewards

The searches led to the seizure of dozens of cell phones, but also computers and even a Maserati vehicle registered in Luxembourg. Started in the summer of 2020 after a series of thefts of jewelry and cell phones in the city center of Rennes, the investigation led by the prosecution resulted in the indictment of five people, three of whom were imprisoned. According to the prosecutor, the thefts were committed “by wandering foreign minors or young adults” and the devices transported to Algeria.

To send the phones to the Maghreb, the network had obtained the complicity of stewards and an Algerian official. A judicial investigation was opened in February 2021. According to investigators, “at least 600 high-end mobile phones were thus exported” between December 2020 and February 2021, “generating a profit of several tens of thousands of euros per month” , according to the same source. This network also collected stolen phones in Paris and Normandy.

Five stewards spotted

Four suspects, originally from Algeria and unknown to the courts, were indicted for “concealment in an organized gang of thefts committed in an organized gang”. Three were imprisoned, including the alleged organizer of the network, of Algerian nationality and with a Luxembourg resident card. A 42-year-old Franco-Algerian steward was also indicted for having provided “several transport of stolen phones between France and Algeria”, according to the prosecution. He was placed under judicial supervision. Four other stewards of Air Algeria are the subject of arrest warrants.

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