Start of trial - Trial begins for multi-million euro theft at Aurubis
A trial for the theft of silver-bearing material worth eleven million euros from copper manufacturer Aurubis began on Tuesday at Hamburg District Court. The public prosecutor's office is accusing five defendants of aggravated gang theft or commercial handling of stolen goods, and a sixth defendant of aiding and abetting aggravated gang theft. Between February 2020 and January 2021, the defendants allegedly stole around 5,000 kilograms of intermediate and by-products containing precious metals from the Aurubis company site in the Veddel district.
According to the indictment, they sold the loot to previously unknown buyers. The majority of the stolen goods are said to have been sent to metal processing companies in Turkey for analysis and further use. The six men, aged between 33 and 50, are said to have used crypto cell phones for internal communication.
The defendants did not initially comment on the allegations. At a plea bargain before the trial, the court had offered a range of sentences from a suspended prison sentence of less than two years to just under six years in prison. For this, the defendants would have to make credible confessions, explained the chairman of the Grand Criminal Chamber, Nils Godendorff. The public prosecutor's office has therefore named minimum sentences of between just under two and seven years.
Statement from the public prosecutor's office dated 30.11. Statement on searches dated 15.06. Aurubis statement dated 15.06. on investigations into gang theft
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- The five primary suspects and an accomplice, all men, are standing trial at Hamburg District Court for their alleged involvement in a gang of thieves who stole over eleven million euros worth of silver-bearing material from Aurubis.
- The public prosecutor's office has accused the defendants of aggravated gang theft or commercial handling of stolen goods, with penalties ranging from suspended sentences to prison terms, as outlined in court statements.
- The stolen precious metals, estimated at around 5,000 kilograms, were reportedly sold to unidentified buyers and subsequently sent to metal processing companies in Turkey for further use.
- The defendants, aged between 33 and 50, communicated internally using crypto cell phones, according to the investigation, and the public prosecutor's office intends to pursue a minimum sentence of between two and seven years for each suspect.
- This high-profile case involving Aurubis and criminality related to precious metals has garnered attention, with related articles available on dozens of reputable German news websites.
Source: www.stern.de
