Key points:
- Romania’s anti-organised crime prosecutors (DIICOT) say a gang hijacked around 70 freight loads worth €9 million.
- Most of the thefts took place outside Romania, mainly in Belgium.
- Investigators carried out 65 searches, 14 of them under European Investigation Orders from Belgium.
- The suspects allegedly used fake documents, swapped trailers and reported fictitious thefts.
- The case fits a wider trend of fake carriers and fraud in European road freight.
65 searches in Romania
According to DIICOT, prosecutors from its Pitești office and organised crime police carried out 65 house searches in Bucharest and the counties of Argeș, Dâmbovița, Ilfov, Dolj, Prahova and Bihor. The case concerns setting up an organised crime group, fraud with particularly serious consequences, computer forgery and money laundering.
Investigators say five suspects set up the group in March 2024, and around 30 more people joined later. Each member had a role: contracting domestic and international transport, picking high-value loads that are easy to sell on the black market, moving goods between vehicles, scouting ahead of the trucks and selling the stolen cargo.
How the scheme worked
According to the prosecutors, the group used several companies that its members ran or controlled to contract freight transport in Romania and abroad. Once they had collected the goods, they kept them. The suspects allegedly used fake identity documents, fake transport documents and fake registration certificates and number plates.
The investigators describe three methods:
- Reloading and a fake theft report: the cargo was moved to another vehicle, and the theft was then reported to a police station on the planned route,
- Trailer swap: the loaded semi-trailer was uncoupled and replaced with one of the same colour and similar features, and the number plates were swapped between the two,
- Breakdown story: the driver claimed that a fault forced him to leave the semi-trailer while the tractor unit went to a workshop, and then reported it stolen.
The stolen goods included electronics, household appliances, raw materials, cereals, cosmetics, drinks and other consumer goods.
Belgium at the centre
Most of the hijacked loads were in Belgium. In February 2026, Romanian and Belgian authorities set up a joint investigation team under Eurojust. DIICOT also says that the group’s members are being investigated for crimes committed in other EU countries.
Belgium and the Netherlands are a hotspot for cargo crime. In its 2026 freight crime report, TT Club named the ports of Antwerp-Bruges and Rotterdam, as well as motorways such as the E19, E17, A67 and A2, among the main risk areas. The insurer warns that criminals use AI-generated credentials, forged documents and freight exchanges to pose as carriers.
“The sophistication of cargo crime in Benelux has reached unprecedented levels,” said Josh Finch, logistics risk manager at TT Club.
A Europe-wide problem
In February, the marine insurers’ association IUMI and the Transported Asset Protection Association TAPA EMEA warned that fake carrier fraud is growing. TAPA recorded around 160,000 cargo crimes in 129 countries between 2022 and 2024.
“Forged email addresses, look-alike domains and fake insurance certificates are increasingly common,” said Thorsten Neumann, president and CEO of TAPA EMEA. Lars Lange, secretary general of IUMI, added that freight exchanges “have a key responsibility to ensure no bogus carriers can operate on these platforms.”
What it means for shippers and forwarders
The Romanian case shows that fraudsters do not always need fake companies. They can also use real, registered firms that take on loads legally and then make them disappear. For forwarders and shippers, checking a carrier’s documents is no longer enough. Experts recommend verifying the history of new partners, the vehicles and drivers that actually turn up for loading, and any unusual changes during transport.
The Romanian case is not isolated. Earlier this week, Spanish police broke up a gang that used stolen trucks to rob other trucks at service areas. Trans.INFO has also described how real companies are used by fake carriers to steal loads.
