Romanian police officers and anti-organised crime (DIICOT) prosecutors announced last week that they detained four members of a drug trafficking network selling cocaine in Vrancea and Bacău counties. The four men also turned out to be the ones who stole 22 high-performance bicycles belonging to the Italian cycling team. The bikes have an estimated value of around EUR 600,000.

The Romanian Police said that the suspects stole the bikes on October 23, when the Italian team was in France for a competition. According to the Associated Press, they are Pinarello bikes, and some were painted gold in honour of recent Olympic victories, while some had titanium 3D-printed handlebars.

The bikes were found during a large-scale anti-drug bust last Thursday, October 28. The Police said they caught the suspects in the act of trying to sell some of the bikes stolen from France.

Subsequently, during house searches carried out in Vrancea county, the police officers and DIICOT prosecutors found 21 of the 22 bikes stolen in France, as well as other items such as eight televisions, a DVR, ten mobile phones, drugs, and money.

The Romanian Police also published a video of the recovered bikes.

newsroom@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/Politia Romana)