The first case concerns a couple from Isère and one of their friends. The first investigations began in October 2020 as part of a preliminary investigation led by the Grenoble prosecutor’s office. The alert had been given by a town hall in the Grenoble metropolitan area, it had filed a complaint for violations of the town planning code.
Investigators found that the individuals were living far beyond their stated means. In particular, they have traveled a lot abroad, bought luxury goods or even made large real estate investments in France and abroad. “It turns out that part of their income is undeclared or of suspicious origin, made by local companies and trading in precious metals”, specifies the parquet floor of Grenoble. The couple also owned a house in Saint-Martin-d’Uriage.
The three suspects were arrested and several of their belongings were seized from their homes during a search. Investigators found jewelry and luxury goods as well as two firearms. According to information from our colleagues from Dauphiné Libéré, 750 kilos of silver powder were found in containers bearing the colors of the Schneider Electric company.
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Grenoble Public Prosecutor’s Office
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Grenoble Public Prosecutor’s Office
They were placed in police custody and then presented to the investigating magistrate who indicted them for “money laundering, concealment of breach of trust, fraud and abuse of corporate assets”, according to the Grenoble prosecutor’s office. The 38-year-old man was imprisoned in a remand center, while his 30-year-old wife was placed under judicial supervision. Their friend, a 35-year-old man, was released and will be summoned later.
A case linked to the theft of silver powder from Schneider
The silver powder would be linked to a second case: the theft of materials from the Schneider Electric site in Moirans, last June. On the night of June 26, around 3 a.m., three hooded individuals entered the Schneider Electric company in Moirans. They threaten the security guard and tie him around his feet and wrists. They then manage to open the chests and steal two tons of silver powder and 700 kilos of scrap silver. The investigation into this theft in an organized gang had been entrusted to the gendarmes of the Grenoble research section.
The investigation led to the arrest of two men aged 44 and 48, indicted for “theft and concealment of theft in an organized gang”.