German police probe cigarette vending‑machine thefts and explosion

On 15 July 2026 at about 02:30 hrs, a cigarette vending machine in Fachbach (Rhineland‑Palatinate) was blown up by unknown perpetrators who stole the merchandise. The loud blast alerted residents, who called the police. Witnesses said two to three suspects fled on foot toward the town centre; a search was launched but the suspects remain at large and the investigation continues.

In a separate incident on the night of 8–9 July 2026 in Georgensgmünd (Bavaria), criminals used a construction excavator to uproot two cigarette vending machines from a construction site, transport them to a nearby industrial area and break them open with the machine’s bucket. Police arrested three German suspects, aged 17, 21 and 24, recovered cigarettes from the machines, and linked the 21‑year‑old to additional fuel‑card fraud involving at least 43 unauthorized fuel transactions. The total damage was estimated at €3,300. The criminal investigations are ongoing.