Lithuanian men convicted in half-million euro outboard motor thefts across southern Finland

A Finnish district court has sentenced two Lithuanian men to prison for systematically stealing outboard motors worth nearly €500,000 from boat manufacturers and storage sites in southern Finland, Yle reports. One of the men also received a separate conviction for a serious drug offence.

The Pirkanmaa District Court ruled that Aurimas Gecevicius, 35, will serve two years and nine months in prison for his role in the thefts, while Algirdas Toleikis, 54, was sentenced to two years and four months for the same crimes. Toleikis additionally received three years and eight months for a serious narcotics offence involving cocaine importation and possession in May 2023.

The men carried out six cases of aggravated theft or attempted theft between 2024 and 2025, targeting boat manufacturers and storage facilities in Valkeakoski, Porvoo, Sipoo, Raasepori, and Raisio. Their largest single haul occurred in Valkeakoski in September 2025, where they stole 18 outboard motors valued at nearly €200,000. An earlier theft at the same location netted motors worth around €100,000.

Investigators described the operation as highly organised. The men scouted locations in advance, cut holes in fences, and transported the stolen motors via package cars to trucks, moving the goods through Estonia and Latvia to Lithuania. They used vehicles with partially falsified licence plates and unregistered phone connections to avoid detection.

While the court classified the thefts as aggravated due to their systematic nature, it rejected prosecutors’ claims that the crimes were part of organised criminal activity. Gecevicius was convicted of five of the six thefts, while Toleikis admitted to all charges and received a slightly reduced sentence for cooperating with the investigation.

In addition to prison time, the men were ordered to pay over €300,000 in compensation to insurance companies and private victims. They will also forfeit €116,620 in criminal proceeds and the vehicles used in the crimes. Both defendants and the prosecution have indicated they will appeal the rulings, which are not yet legally binding. The men have remained in custody since their arrest in Valkeakoski last November.