A SUSPECTED sheep thief has been caught after officers from Catalunya’s Mossos d’Esquadra police force stopped a stolen van packed with live lambs on a highway in the early hours of Monday morning.
Police stopped the van at around 4am after noticing it was driving in a strange way on the N-240 near Les Borges Blanques, Lleida.
When officers searched the vehicle, they found 28 live lambs inside.
Police quickly began checking where both the van and the animals came from.
READ MORE: Bizarre spate of sheep rustling hits Catalan region as entire flocks go missing
Investigators discovered the van had been stolen the day before from a livestock farm in Les Borges Blanques.
The lambs were later traced to a farm in Ontiñena, in the Huesca area.
The driver, a 45-year-old man, was arrested on suspicion of robbery with force and theft of a vehicle.
Police also found he was driving without a valid licence after losing all of his points.
The arrest comes as sheep thefts continue to rise across Catalunya before Eid al-Adha, also known as the ‘festival of the lamb’, with farmers across the region worrying about losing animals during one of the busiest times of the year for lamb sales.
Police said the lambs were found safe and unharmed.
After suitable transport was arranged, the animals were returned to their owner, who manages livestock transport and sales for several farms in Aragon.
The stolen van was also returned to its original owner.
The suspect, who already has a criminal record, appeared before a judge in Lleida this week.
However, the investigation remains open as police examine whether he could be linked to other similar thefts.
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