Three British and two Portuguese men have been arrested on suspicion of stealing around 40 rental cars and motor homes in the Faro area.
According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, who ordered the Monday arrests in Tavira and Olhão, the gang is responsible for the additional theft of electric scooters, bicycles and other objects the cash value of which has yet to be confirmed but is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands of euros bracket.
"It is suspected that, in most cases, the gang broke into car rental outlets where the ignition keys were kept and used them to drive the vehicles away. In some cases, it is suspected that they falsified registration plates and drove the vehicles to Spain," stated the Public Prosecutor’s office.
During the raids, Police seized nine vehicles, of which five were stolen; a stolen motorhome; a stolen vehicle that has been dismantled; various keys and vehicle documentation; national and foreign number plates; power tools; hashish; cannabis; a digital scale; two video cameras; two walkie-talkies; nine mobile phones and €1,540 in cash.
The gang members formally will be accused of are theft and falsifying documents and will be in court in Faro on Tuesday for questioning and to decide whether they can be released pending trial.
