A gang that robbed trucks to be tried in Poland. Five of 13 defendants are Belarusians

As reported by the National Public Prosecutor's Office of Poland and the Central Police Investigation Bureau, the criminals wore uniforms with police emblems during the attacks. This allowed them to catch victims by surprise: drivers did not immediately realize they were dealing with robbers. After this, the attackers beat people and deprived them of their freedom. To make it harder to identify the vehicles used by the bandits, they placed fake license plates on them immediately before the attacks.

The criminal group was interested not only in cigarettes but also in other illegal goods. The attackers counted on the victims not contacting the police, as they themselves were transporting illegal cargo and, if they reported it, could also face trial.

A breakthrough in the investigation occurred in May 2025, when, after a series of unsolved attacks, the police arrested seven people — two Polish citizens and five Belarusians. The arrests took place primarily in Warsaw and the village of Wieliszew in Mazowieckie Voivodeship. During searches, suspects were found to have a significant arsenal of weapons: short-barreled and long-barreled firearms, over 1200 rounds of various calibers, flash-bang and smoke grenades, 2.4 kilograms of explosives, and various devices.

Further investigation, searches, and interrogations helped identify other members of the gang. In Spain, two more Polish citizens were arrested, including the alleged leader of the group. They were extradited to Poland on the basis of European arrest warrants.

According to information from the newspaper Rzeczpospolita, the arrested Belarusians lived in Poland. One of them had their passport seized as part of the criminal case. Officially, he is unemployed; another detainee works in trade.

This is not the first known story of truck attacks involving Belarusians. In October 2019, police in Germany arrested five Belarusian citizens, all from Orsha. Their group carried out more than 60 attacks on lorries over several years, mainly in the Hanover area. The gang, reportedly led by an Orsha criminal authority, lived in Orsha but regularly traveled abroad to commit crimes.

In cooperation with Europol, investigators found that the group operated not only in Germany but also in France. They had several trucks and passenger cars at their disposal, which allowed them to reload stolen goods and evade the police. For communication and night operations, the criminals used walkie-talkies and thermal imagers.

According to ONT TV channel, the gang was uncovered by chance — during the investigation of another crime. The alleged leader of the group, known in Orsha and Belarus since the 1990s, reportedly injured a former gang member during an argument. Police began investigating the circumstances and eventually found the criminals' truck, which contained stolen televisions. The media did not report on the sentences for the members of that group.

In 2024, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus reported the arrest of members of another gang that attacked trucks, but already on the territory of Belarus. Its members were also residents of Orsha aged 34 to 51. They mainly sold the stolen goods in neighboring Russia.

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