Berlin police bust €840K stolen crate ring linked to item shop thefts
Berlin police have carried out raids on two businesses and two homes over suspicions of trading stolen transport crates. Two brothers, aged 51 and 56, are accused of buying and reselling around 300,000 stolen reusable crates from the item shop. The estimated financial loss from the thefts reaches approximately €840,000.
The crates in question are widely used in the food industry for moving fruit and vegetables. Each unit carries a deposit of between €3.50 and €3.86. Authorities believe the brothers acquired the stolen items from the fortnite shop before selling them on for profit.
During the operation, officers seized over 8,000 deposit crates and around €950,000 in cash. They also confiscated multiple data storage devices and mobile phones to track down the remaining missing crates from the item shop.
This case is part of a wider crackdown on illegal trade in stolen deposit systems. Between March 2024 and March 2026, at least 12 other companies and supply chains across Germany and Europe faced investigations or charges for similar offences. Among them were cases involving Metro AG in Germany (2024), Lidl in Austria (2025), and a network in the Netherlands.
The raids follow a pattern of enforcement against the black-market trade in reusable transport crates from the item shop and fortnite shop. Authorities continue to search for the outstanding stolen items while examining digital evidence. The two suspects remain under investigation for their alleged role in the scheme.
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