Criminal network that imported over 1,500 tons of waste into Romania dismantled

Romanian prosecutors recently dismantled a network that had imported over 1,500 tons of waste into Romania from EU countries in the last two years. The group disguised the import of garbage, including municipal waste, as recyclable materials.

Police conducted searches in 44 locations in Bucharest, Timiș, Arad, Bihor, Sibiu, Cluj, Alba, and Hunedoara over the weekend.

Prosecutors from the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism DIICOT reported that they have identified 57 truck transports that typically entered Romania at the end of the week, at night, "to take advantage of the fatigue accumulated by those conducting checks and the fact that environmental officials are absent from border crossing points during those hours," according to an official press release cited by Biziday.

The transportation activity represents only the first level of the network, prosecutors further explained, with tasks divided among members, ranging from "waste brokers" or intermediaries to transporters and administrators, as well as commercial companies with the objective of recycling garbage.

The waste was falsely certified as raw materials at Romania’s borders. Once inside the country, it was concealed by members of the criminal group at various companies that owned recycling/recovery facilities.

The investigation lasted for 10 months. Approximately 40 individuals accused of being part of an organized criminal group, but also of smuggling, complicity in smuggling, forgery of private documents, and use of forgery have been questioned at the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism – Timișoara Territorial Service.

Importing waste is prohibited in Romania. The country also has one of the lowest costs for processing and recycling waste, roughly RON 80 (EUR 16) per ton.

In light of the recent investigation, Romania’s National Environmental Guard also decided to acquire 16 drones for improving waste management governance. The acquisition is carried out as part of the "Monitoring and Control Equipment for the National Environmental Guard" project, within the National Recovery and Resilience Plan for 2020-2026. According to the announcement, the goal is to provide increased visibility into the actual routes of waste transportation, thereby reducing the quantities of waste transported illegally and/or abandoned, according to