More than three tons of stolen cables, notably in Orange and SNCF, were found in northern France and Belgium

A large control operation coordinated by the police and SNCF experts revealed some 3.6 tons of suspected cables stolen in the north of the country.

Some 2.5 tons of these materials were identified as belonging to SNCF or the company Orange, detailed the prefecture of the North in its communiqué, broadcast Tuesday.

Despite the massive deployment of fibre optics, copper remains a key element for thousands of telephone lines in France. Unfortunately, its high value on the metal market makes it a target of choice for thieves, and the sanctions, considered insufficient by some, are struggling to stop the phenomenon. According to the daily newspaper Le Parisien, 200 households and companies in the municipalities of Allouagne and Choques (in the Pas-de-Calais) h…

In coordinated operations at recycling companies, some 3.6 tons of suspected stolen cables have been seized, the French prefecture of Nord announced.

The Belgian and French police carried out a punch operation on Tuesday along the border. They simultaneously controlled a dozen scrapmen, while the theft of copper cables was increasing. The authorities seized in Lille almost two tons of stolen Orange cables.