A haul of stolen children’s clothes with their security tags still attached has been confiscated by police in Germany after they were discovered in a van.
The clothes – all with one-time British High Street favourite C&A labels – had been crammed in floor to roof in the vehicle stopped by officers in Mettmann, in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
The vehicle, reports local media, had been pulled over for routine checks at a motorway service station on 22nd April.
Officers had noticed a smell of cannabis wafting from the van, which was registered in Berlin, and ordered the occupants to open up.
But when police released the van’s rear door they found it packed tight with children’s clothing, still with labels and security tags attached.
Officers also found a magnetic device apparently used for removing the tags.
A police spokesperson said in a statement obtained by Newsflash on Monday, 24th April: “At around 8.15pm, a Duesseldorf motorway unit observed a Mitsubishi van with four passengers.
“The officers noticed the smell of marijuana and therefore decided to examine the vehicle more closely. However, no illegal substances were discovered.”
He added: “However, the car’s boot was packed with new clothes which still had the labels on them.
“Some of the items also featured anti-theft devices. Most of the goods were clothing for children and babies.”
The spokesperson explained: “Due to the suspicion of theft, four people were detained: three men aged 49, 39 and 28 as well as an 18-year-old woman.
“The Mitsubishi and the goods inside the car worth more than EUR 10,000 [GBP 8,858] – which had obviously been stolen – were confiscated.”
They revealed: “The officers also found a magnetic object which had probably been used to remove anti-theft devices.”
The spokesman added: “All of the four individuals were found to have a criminal record.
“They were taken to the police station in Mettmann but released later at the state prosecution’s request.”
The investigation is ongoing. The suspects, who reportedly live in Berlin, are facing theft charges.
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Story By: Thomas Hochwarter, Sub-Editor: Joe Golder, Agency: Newsflash
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