- Two men stole 25 Porsches across Manchester in ten months.
- The stolen vehicles had an estimated value of $1.3 million.
- Both men pleaded guilty and received prison sentences.
Over a span of ten months, two men in the UK quietly orchestrated a string of Porsche thefts, lifting dozens of vehicles from across the Greater Manchester area. What they likely assumed would be a lucrative operation instead ended with both behind bars.
The suspects, Eidmantas Sadauskas and Vytautas Ceponis, managed to bypass the vehicles’ security systems using unspecified “equipment and tools.” With alarms disabled, they were able to access the cars, re-register them with fresh plates, and avoid drawing attention during their getaway.
Read: Thieves Steal Trailer Containing $1.5 Million In Porsche Racecars And Parts
The thefts began in January and continued steadily until October, with the tally eventually reaching 25 cars. Authorities haven’t released details on the specific Porsche models taken, but the math provides a useful clue.
With a combined value of approximately £1 million or about $1.35 million at current exchange rates, each car averaged about $52,000. That figure suggests the duo steered clear of high-grade 911s or anything particularly rare. As Road & Track points out, it was likely a mix of Macans, Cayennes, and perhaps a few base-level Panameras.
Criminal Efficiency Meets Police Routine
Regardless of which models were targeted, police suspect the vehicles were intended for resale, possibly trafficked abroad through illegal channels. The operation had the hallmarks of a professional theft ring, focused less on flash and more on volume.
As more Porsches began disappearing, local authorities took notice and launched a targeted effort to catch those responsible. The Tactical Vehicle Intercept Unit eventually pulled over a suspect vehicle on its way to Cheshire at 1 a.m. on October 16. That car had previously been linked to other thefts in the area.
Sadauskas and Cepnios were found inside the vehicle and they were carrying a blank car key, screwdrivers, sockets, pliers, and several other tools to break into the cars. The two men were also found to have been in the areas where the thefts have occurred.
Four Years for 25 Porsches
Presumably realizing they’d been busted, and not wanting to endure the lengthy process of a trial and potentially long prison sentences, both men pleaded guilty to conspiring to steal motor vehicles at Minshull Street Crown Court on November 24. Sadauskaswas jailed for four and a half years while Ceponis was sentenced to four years behind bars.
Police have since recovered several of the stolen Porsches and continue to track down the rest. According to Greater Manchester Police, the investigation involved extensive work, including trawling through hours of CCTV footage and reviewing automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) data.
“This was a sophisticated criminal operation which saw multiple valuable cars stolen and sold on for gain,” Chris Hopkins from the Greater Manchester Police said. “As soon as we identified the trend, we immediately began comprehensive work to identify all possible suspects and track them.”
