[Im4ca-wp1.beta] Fwd: Polizeigrosseinsatz in Sintesti

[Röckmann, T. (Thomas)]

Hi all, I would like to share a mail that Hannes just sent me from Romania about a large police operation on the Vidra landfill…
Thomas

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Keck, Hannes" <Hannes.Keck at empa.ch>
Subject: Polizeigrosseinsatz in Sintesti
Date: 26 May 2026 at 14:25:08 CEST
To: Röckmann, T. (Thomas) <t.rockmann at uu.nl>


CAUTION: This email originated from outside of Utrecht University. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.


Hi Thomas,

Just as an information: yesterday the police have performed a large operation in Sintesti village (directly next to the Vidra Landfill) seizing many tons of garbage metals due to illegal activities and issuing large fines.

We should bear this in mind when doing measurements at the landfill the people in the village and at the landfill might be particularly alert. Also for drone campaigns as the police were using drones over the last months to document illegal activities.

At INOE we are discussing currently how we will deal with this situation.

Best,
Hannes

PS:

Here the link to the local news:
https://www.digi24.ro/stiri/actualitate/actiune-cu-drone-dupa-arderile-ilegale-de-deseuri-din-jurul-capitalei-garda-de-mediu-a-confiscat-zece-tone-de-cupru-3784839

And an AI summary:
Major Environmental Crackdown Near Bucharest: Drones, Seizures, and Heavy Fines
Romania's National Environmental Guard, together with the Police and Gendarmerie, carried out the largest operation of the year so far in the Sintești area and at five REMAT (scrap metal) centers in Ilfov County, following more than a month of drone surveillance. digi24<https://www.digi24.ro/stiri/actualitate/actiune-cu-drone-dupa-arderile-ilegale-de-deseuri-din-jurul-capitalei-garda-de-mediu-a-confiscat-zece-tone-de-cupru-3784839>
Drone-Led Investigation
Environmental inspectors logged 65 hours of drone flight time, during which they documented waste transport routes, illegal dumping sites, burning activities, and the networks through which recovered materials were being sold on. Using coordinates gathered from the air, combined with data from partner institutions including the National Cadastre Agency, Romanian Police, and the vehicle registry, authorities were able to identify the owners of both the land and vehicles involved in the illegal operations. digi24<https://www.digi24.ro/stiri/actualitate/actiune-cu-drone-dupa-arderile-ilegale-de-deseuri-din-jurul-capitalei-garda-de-mediu-a-confiscat-zece-tone-de-cupru-3784839>
What Was Seized
During the operation, inspectors confiscated 24 tonnes of aluminium, 10 tonnes of copper, one tonne of mixed metals, and six tonnes of car batteries and accumulators. A further 31 vehicles were impounded, loaded with an additional 51 tonnes of copper, 40 tonnes of aluminium, and 10 tonnes of brass. In total, 136 tonnes of waste were seized across the operation. digi24<https://www.digi24.ro/stiri/actualitate/actiune-cu-drone-dupa-arderile-ilegale-de-deseuri-din-jurul-capitalei-garda-de-mediu-a-confiscat-zece-tone-de-cupru-3784839>
Fines and Criminal Complaints
Authorities issued fines totalling approximately 700,000 lei and filed two criminal complaints. Prior to the main raid, ten earlier sanctions worth 60,000 lei had already been issued to landowners where illegal dumping had been discovered. The municipality of Vidra was also fined 45,000 lei for failing to clean up 19 plots of land, and a separate criminal complaint was filed for illegal burial of waste. digi24<https://www.digi24.ro/stiri/actualitate/actiune-cu-drone-dupa-arderile-ilegale-de-deseuri-din-jurul-capitalei-garda-de-mediu-a-confiscat-zece-tone-de-cupru-3784839>digi24<https://www.digi24.ro/stiri/actualitate/actiune-cu-drone-dupa-arderile-ilegale-de-deseuri-din-jurul-capitalei-garda-de-mediu-a-confiscat-zece-tone-de-cupru-3784839>
Fraudulent Documents Uncovered
Officials noted that some vehicle owners had attempted to use falsified paperwork to disguise the origin of the materials. In one case, a premises in Vâlcea County that had been closed for several years was listed as the shipping point for waste actually collected in Sintești. digi24<https://www.digi24.ro/stiri/actualitate/actiune-cu-drone-dupa-arderile-ilegale-de-deseuri-din-jurul-capitalei-garda-de-mediu-a-confiscat-zece-tone-de-cupru-3784839>
Broader Significance
The head of the Environmental Guard stressed that drone monitoring is not limited to Sintești and will be the organisation's standard approach going forward — using technology to achieve maximum results with minimum resources. Environment Minister Diana Buzoianu described it as one of the biggest enforcement actions in the area in recent years, adding that all video footage would be submitted as evidence to criminal prosecutors. digi2<https://www.digi24.ro/stiri/actualitate/actiune-cu-drone-dupa-arderile-ilegale-de-deseuri-din-jurul-capitalei-garda-de-mediu-a-confiscat-zece-tone-de-cupru-3784839>4

------------------------------
Dr. Hannes Keck
Postdoc
Empa
Ueberlandstrasse 129
8600 Dübendorf
Switzerland
Tel +41 58 765 44 69
hannes.keck at empa.ch<mailto:hannes.keck at empa.ch>
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