Lithuanian Gang Member Faces Deportation After £300,000 Stolen Car Parts Bust

A Lithuanian gang member, Osvaldas Ubarevicius, 31, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison and faces deportation after being apprehended with approximately £300,000 worth of stolen car parts. Ubarevicius was part of a criminal network that dismantled high-value vehicles and exported the parts.

In April of this year, police were alerted to a chop shop operating on farmland near Malmesbury, Wiltshire. Investigations revealed the site was likely involved in an organized crime operation focused on the export of stolen car parts. CCTV footage linked a white Sprinter van to the location. Two days later, officers from Hertfordshire Police stopped the vehicle.

Inside the van, which had also been stolen, authorities discovered car parts that had been stolen earlier that same morning. Ubarevicius was arrested at the scene and subsequently charged with two offenses: conspiring to dishonestly receive stolen goods and possessing criminal property. He was remanded into custody and later sentenced at Winchester Crown Court.

Investigating officer DC Sue McCartney stated that the operation involved at least £325,000 worth of stolen vehicle parts, with their value expected to increase significantly upon resale. She emphasized Ubarevicius's role within the criminal network and the financial losses and distress inflicted upon victims.

DC McCartney credited the successful operation to the report from a private tracking company that identified the lock-up and the proactive expertise of the Forensic Collision Investigation Unit. The unit spent weeks examining, identifying, and recovering a substantial number of exhibits. Wider inquiries are ongoing to identify other individuals involved and dismantle the organized criminal activity.

Ubarevicius is set to be deported after completing his prison sentence.