Officers are still trying to locate some of the vehicles

Two men have been jailed following an investigation into the theft of 25 Porsches across Greater Manchester with a total value of £1m. Eidmantas Sadauskas, 34, and Vytautas Ceponis, 35, both of no fixed abode, started the series of car thefts in January this year.

The sophisticated work, in which Porsches were specifically targeted, saw the pair use equipment and tools to disable the vehicle security alarms and gain access to them. They would then clone the vehicles, using different registration plates to slip under the radar.

In total, 25 Porsches were identified as having been taken by Sadauskas and Ceponis in the theft series which occurred from January to October 2025. It is believed the vehicles were being stolen to be sold on for illegal gain, including to locations and buyers abroad.

The pair have now been jailed for conspiring to steal motor vehicles – for four-and-a-half and four years respectively – after pleading guilty to the offences at Minshull Street Crown Court on November 24. They were sentenced at the same court on December 19.

The thefts occurred across Greater Manchester, including in Salford, Bury, Trafford, Manchester and Stockport, which is where the investigation into the series began. Once the trend was identified by officers from Greater Manchester Police’s Neighbourhood Crime Team (NCT), a specific operation was set-up by the force to tackle the thefts and monitor the routine, style, and manner of the crimes.

This led to officers from the Tactical Vehicle Intercept Unit stopping a vehicle en-route to Cheshire at 1am on October 16, after identifying the car as being involved in the thefts. Sadauskas and Ceponis were inside the vehicle. A search of the car revealed a number of tools and devices, including a blank car key, screwdrivers, sockets, pliers, and various other items used to break into cars.

A comprehensive investigation by NCT officers based in Stockport found that Sadauskas and Ceponis were mapped out as being in the areas of the crimes as they occurred. The vehicles involved in the thefts were additionally identified as being linked to them.

The collective value of the vehicles stolen is estimated as being approximately £1m, according to GMP. Several of the Porsches have since been recovered and work is still ongoing to locate the rest of the vehicles and re-unite them with their rightful owners.

The outcome of the investigation comes after a successful year for Stockport’s Neighbourhood Crime Team which has seen a 43 pc reduction in thefts and a 10pc reduction in vehicle crime. The team has been nominated for a prestigious Chief Constable’s award.

PC Chris Hopkins, from GMP’s Stockport NCT, said: “This was a sophisticated criminal operation which saw multiple valuable cars stolen and sold on for gain.

“As soon as we identified the trend, we immediately began comprehensive work to identify all possible suspects and track them. This includes countless hours of monitoring CCTV footage and reviewing ANPR hits from across Greater Manchester.

“Thankfully, this work led us to Sadauskas and Ceponis, who were stopped by TVIU officers and arrested for their involvement in the crimes.

“No-one should have their property taken from them, and as officers in the Neighourhood Crime Team, we work proactively to tackle these sorts of offences and punish those responsible.

“We have recovered several of the stolen vehicles and will continue to do so while Sadauskas and Ceponis are behind bars.”

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