National gang that stole luxury cars busted due to suspicions of police on the Costa del Sol

A police investigation that began in Malaga has ended with the arrest of members of a gang that stole luxury cars and the recovery of nine high-end cars valued at more than 300,000 euros.

After the suspects stole the cars, sometimes from car rental companies, they waited a few days and then falsified the car’s details before selling them on to unwitting buyers.

The suspects also falsely reported the theft of vehicles to evade criminal liability, according to the National Police. Another tactic was to buy damaged cars that were impossible to repair but a useful way to launder a new identity for a stolen vehicle.

Although the criminal gang was based in Madrid and Barcelona, the investigations began when the police in Malaga learned of the theft of two vehicles in the province. In both cases, they were high-end passenger cars that had been rented by the same person.

The criminal gang specialised in theft and fake documents. After identifying the suspect who rented the cars in Malaga, the police widened their net and identified other gang members in Madrid and Barcelona. They now face a series of criminal charges.

Some luxury cars had been illegally re-registered, others were given new coats of paint.