Initial Inquiries Led to a Stolen Maserati Levante Modena That Was Being Registered Using Stolen Italian Documents That Had Been Falsified

Catalan police have recovered nine luxury vehicles worth nearly €640,000 that were stolen in Denmark, Italy and France, then manipulated to be fraudulently registered and sold in Spain. A 51-year-old man has been reported to prosecutors over his alleged role in the scheme, which used stolen blank official documents, falsified chassis numbers and fake purchase contracts and invoices to give the vehicles a legal appearance. The investigation began in July 2025, when the Mossos d'Esquadra detected irregularities while reviewing paperwork submitted to register a vehicle imported from Italy in Spain.

Initial inquiries led to a stolen Maserati Levante Modena that was being registered using stolen Italian documents that had been falsified. The vehicle had already been sold in Gandía (Valencia), but police intervention prevented it from being registered. Months later, investigators found similar signs in an attempt to register a Fiat Panda Hybrid located in Figueres.

That second case expanded the investigation and led to seven more vehicles: four Porsche Carrera 4 GTS, a Range Rover Sport SVR and two Harley-Davidson motorcycles. The method followed a similar pattern. Vehicles were stolen in Denmark, Italy and France, then their chassis numbers were altered.

Registration in Spain used stolen blank official documents from Italy and Austria. Investigators recovered four Italian registration certificates and ten Austrian ones stolen in blank. The fake paperwork was completed with fraudulent invoices and purchase contracts designed to make the transactions look legal.

Investigators also found that taxes had been evaded by declaring lower amounts for registration than were actually paid. The nine vehicles were recovered across Catalonia and the rest of Spain. In Catalonia, they were found in Figueres, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Gavà and La Bisbal del Penedès.

Outside Catalonia, collaboration with the Guardia Civil's Traffic Investigation and Analysis Group (GIAT) was key, leading to recoveries in Gandía and Benirredrà in the Valencian Community, and in A Coruña. Some of the cars had been sold to third parties who, according to the investigation, were not linked to the criminal activity. The market value of the recovered vehicles totals around €640,000. The investigation also uncovered another episode attributed to the same suspect.

The Mossos clarified an alleged false report of the theft of a Porsche 911 and an attempted fraud against an insurance company. In May 2025, the man allegedly used keys from one of the recovered falsified vehicles to file a report claiming the Porsche had been stolen at the Sant Feliu de Guíxols police station. The aim, investigators say, was to obtain a payout from the insurer.

The man has been reported for offenses including document forgery, receiving stolen vehicles, fraud and money laundering. The investigation remains open, and the Mossos do not rule out further actions related to illicit vehicle trafficking and stolen official documents. The recovered vehicles include a Maserati Levante Modena, four Porsche Carrera 4 GTS, a Range Rover Sport SVR, two Harley-Davidson motorcycles and a Fiat Panda Hybrid.