Irish police have disbanded an organized crime ring that dealt in stolen machinery including two John Deere tractors, published reports indicate.
Stolen Motor Vehicle Unit investigators from the Gardai, as the police force of the Republic of Ireland is known, searched last Friday night a farm in Balscaddan, a town located in County Dublin. Agents found an estimated €1 million ($1.338 million) worth of "hot" machinery including tractors, plows and supplies.
A local family owns the farm and is renting it to a local farmer and machinery dealer, according to a Gardai spokesman. Among the stolen items that were recovered were two John Deere tractors, numerous trailers and other tractors from a vintage collection.
Many identification marks on recovered tractors had been changed, investigators reported. When investigators broke up the ring, three recovered tractors were in the middle of the procedure to erase the identification numbers removed from the chassis.
Most of the recovered goods were stolen from somewhere in the United Kingdom, investigators said. One Deere tractor was stolen within 14 days prior to the search, investigators said.
Irish police find Deere tractors among hot machinery ring
Irish police broke up a ring dealing in stolen machinery, which included John Deere tractors.