A group of 13 Romanians have been convicted in France for stealing 4.1 tonnes of metals in a month, according to Le Figaro.

With their prison sentences ranging from 8 months to 4 years, the biggest convictions went to three Romanians who assaulted a night guard in September 2012 during a robbery at a specialized metal recovery and recycling company.

In total, the 13 Romanians organized 8 robberies and an attempted robbery between September and November 2012.

In 2011, the French Police arrested 35 Romanians who had allegedly stolen copper in Montpellier and Lattes.

Up to 450 tonnes of copper were stolen during a year, from the French Railways, France Telecom and EDF.

The value of the stolen copper would have exceeded EUR 2 million, based on the metal's international quotation.

editor@romania-insider.com