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idlands
Page 31
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Three truck-crime gangs currently operate in the Midlands, say police. Their targets of choice are currently metals, which might lack glamour but fetch a good price.
The gangs are hierarchical and consist of up to 30 people aged between 20 and 50. Two of them are thought to be based locally in the West Midlands.
The money they make from truck crime is used to buy drugs, police report. It is believed that truck drivers are responsible for stealing the metal, which is then sold on by scrap-metal agents.
This month thieves climbed the fences of a yard in Tipton, West Midlands. They broke into a tractor unit, hotwired the truck, then drove away with the unit and trailer, crashing through the gates as they fled the scene.
This is the typical modus operandi of the gangs in the area.
On board the stolen trailer was £100,000 worth of copper police say copper's current high price makes it a major target.
The gangs also follow drivers and wait for them to leave their cabs, leaving vehicles unlocked at the side of the road and easy to steal.