INTERNATIONAL CRIMINALS ARE MAKING a fortune out of stealing farm and building site equipment, as highlighted by the recovery of a number of tractors by The Plant & Equipment Register (TER).

In September 2000, the Garda asked TER to help identify a number of agricultural tractors which had been recovered as part of a nationwide operation against a gang of equipment thieves.

When examined, it became apparent that the tractors were bearing the identities of French and US tractors. All had been bought for the full market value by innocent purchasers in Ireland, insured by Irish insurers and in one case financed with IR23,000 by an Irish Agricultural Finance bank.

Further examination of the equipment revealed that all six tractors had been stolen from across the UK in late 1999 and early 2000, and had been replated and restamped since their theft so that they were showing 'clean' identities in order to disguise their previous status. By giving them new identities the criminals were able to sell them on for their full market value, hugely increasing their profits from this crime.

Lucrative business

TER estimates that the cost of the criminal's operation to be around £5,000, while the total value of his sales was over £100,000.

That the tractors were actually bearing French and US identity plates highlights the high level of co-operation between international criminals which resulted in the equipment thieves in Ireland getting hold of the French and US plates, said TER.

All the tractors have been released for sale by the Garda. The tractors were owned by NFU Mutual Insurance, CGU Insurance and John Deere Credit.