French Customs Arrest Three Men in Andorra Border Perfume Theft Bust
Officers discovered unreceipted goods with security tags during a vehicle inspection, leading to arrests after confirming matches to daily shop theft reports. Collaboration prevented escape.
Key Points
- Customs at Pas de la Casa intercepted French-registered car with 20+ items sans receipts, some with anti-theft alarms.
- Merchandise valued at €600 cost, €5,000 retail, linked to thefts in central Andorra and Pas de la Casa.
- Three men aged 38-52 convicted of theft and illicit association; received 7-year Andorra entry ban and expulsion.
- Separate arrests: tourists with banned weapons in Andorra la Vella; woman breaching expulsion order.
French customs officers at the Pas de la Casa border crossing intercepted a French-registered vehicle on Saturday afternoon, leading to the judicial expulsion of three Romanian men aged 38, 49 and 52 after they were convicted of stealing perfumes and cosmetics from multiple Andorran shops.
The suspects, who were about to leave Andorra, were stopped by customs agents who inspected the heavily loaded car and discovered more than 20 items without purchase receipts. Andorran police confirmed some goods still had anti-theft alarms attached. Agents also found additional perfumes concealed in an aluminium-lined bag designed to evade store security systems.
Authorities took custody of the men and vehicle, matching the recovered merchandise to theft reports from shops in central Andorra and Pas de la Casa that day. The items' cost price exceeded €600—rising to around €5,000 at public sale value—escalating the matter to a criminal offence. The group operated as a professional organisation targeting various locations periodically, with two suspects holding prior Andorran convictions for similar crimes. This prompted additional charges of illicit association.
On Monday, a court imposed prison sentences replaced by a seven-year entry ban to Andorra, resulting in their expulsion.
Cross-border efforts between French customs and Andorran police thwarted the suspects' departure.
In separate weekend incidents, police detained two tourists aged 19 and 23 in Andorra la Vella for public safety offences after a report of one displaying what looked like a firearm. Checks uncovered a pellet gun and 10cm-bladed knife on one, plus an 8.5cm knife and two pepper sprays on the other—all banned items.
On Sunday night, officers arrested a 36-year-old non-resident woman at the Riu Runer crossing for breaching an expulsion order, facing public authority charges.
No further court dates have been announced for the other cases.
Related Articles
Other articles from Catalan-language sources about the same story:
- Altaveu•
Expulsats els tres detinguts per robar perfums i productes cosmètics en diverses botigues del país
- El Periòdic•
Tres turistes d’entre 38 i 52 anys són arrestats per furtar una vintena de productes valorats en més de 600 euros
- Diari d'Andorra•
Tres detinguts a la frontera amb més d’una vintena de perfums i cosmètics sostrets
- Altaveu•
Tres detinguts per robar mercaderies en diferents botigues: enxampats quan sortien pel Pas