The District Court in Zgorzelec has received an indictment against five people in a series of thefts from railway freight trains in Lower Silesia. According to the findings of the investigation, three men allegedly broke into a military wagon and took crates of artillery ammunition, as well as participating in the theft of Thermomix appliances from other shipments. Two further people were charged with handling stolen goods.
As reported by the District Prosecutor’s Office in Jelenia Góra, the case concerns residents of Zgorzelec and Bolesławiec counties.
According to investigators, one of the most unusual incidents occurred on June 4, 2023, at the railway station in Węgliniec. That day, a US Army military train arrived from Germany. Four American soldiers were reportedly assigned to guard the transport.
According to the prosecutor’s findings, the accused took advantage of a moment of inattention on the part of those supervising the train. They allegedly broke the seals securing the containers, got inside and removed four locked crates.
After leaving the area, the perpetrators opened one of the crates and discovered that it contained ammunition. The result? They decided to get rid of the loot and sank the crates in a pond in Stary Węgliniec.
The submerged crates were found beneath the water’s surface the very next day.
An expert in weapons and ammunition was appointed in the case. It was determined that the crates contained 120 rounds of 25 mm ammunition, used, among other things, by the M242 Bushmaster automatic cannon. According to investigators’ findings, the ammunition was no longer fit for use after being submerged.
Investigators claim, however, that this was not the only crime attributed to the accused.
During the proceedings, it was established that the group had also allegedly broken into wagons stopping at the station in Węgliniec on multiple occasions. According to the prosecutor’s office, the modus operandi was similar: breaking seals, entering the wagons, stealing the goods and resealing the transport with seals resembling the originals.
As a result, the thefts allegedly came to light only after the trains reached their destination.
One of the shipments allegedly targeted in this way was a consignment of Thermomix appliances. In total, according to the indictment, 54 appliances worth nearly 296,000 złoty disappeared.
The prosecutor’s office also identified two people who allegedly purchased some of the property originating from the crime. They too were included in the indictment.
None of the accused admitted to the alleged offences. During the investigation, they refused to provide explanations.
The alleged burglaries and thefts carry a sentence of one to 10 years in prison. In cases of handling stolen goods, the law provides for a sentence of between three months and five years’ imprisonment.
The men accused of the burglaries had previously been convicted. The people accused of purchasing the stolen items, however, had no prior convictions.