Six arrested after the discovery of a network of olive thieves in inland Malaga province

Six people have been arrested so far with two others under investigation in the Guardia Civil's operation 'Zaranda 25', part of the plan against agricultural and livestock theft. The suspects are accused of theft, falsification of public documents and belonging to an organised criminal group.

The operation began last October, after receiving two complaints of olive theft totalling 5,600 kilograms. These reports were filed by owners of olive groves located in the municipality of Mollina, according to the Guardia Civil.

After investigation, officers discovered the vehicle that had been used to steal the olives, an unusual type of tractor used for this type of work. This discovery led the officers to identify the alleged perpetrators of the theft.

Apparently, the stolen produce had been transported to an oil mill in Cadiz province, in order to make it difficult to trace the stolen goods and avoid police action.

Officers discovered the delivery of a large quantity of olives to a cooperative in the Antequera region. The deliveries were made by three members of the same family who owned several olive groves but the quantities did not correspond to the production declared by their farms.

The officers, in collaboration with the Antequera regional agricultural office, determined that the suspects had made at least four deliveries totalling 72,000 kilograms, without legally declaring their source.

Similarly, the investigation found this criminal group had acquired stolen olives from three other locations - in the provinces of Seville, Cordoba and Badajoz. They were subsequently transported to Malaga province to be sold with falsified documentation to prove their origin.

The authorities ordered the olive cooperative to block the detainees' bank assets, which would have brought them an estimated profit of 87,000 euros.