Officers from the Criminal Departments of the Bolesławiec County Police Headquarters and the Lower Silesian Police Headquarters in Wrocław, supported by Lower Silesian counter-terrorism officers, arrested three people suspected of burglaries targeting ATMs in Iwiny (Warta Bolesławiecka municipality). All those arrested are residents of Bolesławiec County (aged between 27 and 37).
During searches of their homes, officers secured a methamphetamine production line, precursors and more than 1,000 doses of the finished drug, as well as nearly 3 kg of marijuana.
The police also secured the van used to commit the crimes, along with balaclavas, ammunition, a magazine, transport straps and numerous mobile phones.
Officers determined that the suspects were responsible for three acts: one completed burglary and two attempted burglaries targeting ATMs. (Previously, a 39-year-old resident of our county, a member of the gang, had also been arrested).
The latest detainees will, depending on their roles in the scheme, face charges for ATM burglaries, possession and production of drugs, and illegal possession of ammunition.
A court ordered three months of pre-trial detention for two of the men arrested in Iwiny. (The aforementioned 39-year-old was also placed in pre-trial detention several weeks earlier).
All the suspects now face up to 10 years in prison.
We have reported on the case several times. Let us recap. The gang’s most widely reported raid, an attempt to steal an Euronet ATM, took place after 2:00 a.m. on the night of March 10–11. The suspects drove a tractor and a van to the ATM by the Stara Mleczarnia shopping gallery on Jeleniogórska Street in Bolesławiec. They were preparing to pull out the machine using the tractor and a special strap.
When a police patrol arrived at the scene, the suspects fled in two vehicles. The tractor hit a building. The tractor driver continued fleeing on foot. He was arrested after a pursuit.
Officers found a weapon and amphetamine on the arrested man. It turned out that the tractor used to commit the crime had been stolen several days earlier from the area of Polkowice County. (The recovered vehicle has already been returned to its owner).
The 39-year-old resident of Bolesławiec County was charged with five offences. The man will face charges for attempted burglary, possession of a weapon and narcotic substances, receiving a vehicle obtained through a crime, and fleeing from police officers. He faces up to 10 years in prison.