A 29-year-old man from the Republic of Moldova was killed and buried in a forest in northern France. Four members of the criminal organization led by thief in law Kitaets are investigated in this case. After the body was exhumed, it was determined that the victim was shot in the head, IPN reports.

The murder was committed in Amiens in France in September 2021. The case is investigated by the responsible Moldovan institutions in concert with French investigation officers.

According to the basic case file of the French authorities, before being killed, the victim damaged his car in a road accident and the French police in his vehicle found cigarettes to the value of about €260,000 that had been smuggled from Belgium into France. The contraband was confiscated. Later, the victim’s superiors from the criminal organization Kitaets killed this as he was unable to pay back the money for the confiscated merchandise.

The organizer of the crime – a 40-year-old man who arrived from Italy – was arrested by Romanian DIICOT prosecutors in December 2022. The General Police Inspectorate said this is the right-hand man of the leader of the criminal group known as Kitaets, who is wanted. He was also responsible for the accumulation of funds for the organization. 

The four suspects are aged between 25 and 40. Searches were recently carried out at their homes in Balti and Chisinau, with objects relevant to the investigation betting seized as a result. The Moldovan examiners are to determine if the DNA samples taken from the crime scene in France belong to the four suspects.