Costa del Sol-based gang responsible for 70 burglaries across Spain is busted

The two foreign nationals arrested travelled around the country using vehicles rented under false names

SUR

Malaga

Monday, 8 July 2024, 10:57

A gang based on the Costa del Sol that stand accused of burglaries at around 70 properties in Spain has been busted.

National Police officers from Malaga and Alicante arrested three people and seized jewellery, mobile phones, electronic devices and special tools used to break into properties. The thefts were committed in Alicante, Elche, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Pamplona, Durango, Valladolid, León, Burgos, Toledo, Cáceres, Camargo, and Mollet del Valles, among others.

Police latched onto the gang after detecting multiple thefts in the same areas shared some similarities, with similar items being stolen. Police launched an operation and were able to verify that two of the detainees were present at the places where the burglaries took place, on the day and at the time of the thefts. They were also detected in the vicinity where the crimes were committed.

They were two foreign nationals who moved around different cities in Spain. These people lived on the Costa del Sol and were in connection with a third one who was in charge of storing the stolen objects and finding a way to sell them on the illicit market.

This last person was a woman of Spanish origin and the partner of one of the main suspects, according to National Police. All arrests were made in Fuengirola.

The third person involved, in prison

At this stage of the police operation, it became known that the third person involved, who was also charged, was in Picassent prison in Valencia serving a sentence for committing a similar crime.

Among raids at various houses, police found "a large amount of jewellery, mobile phones, prepaid cards, electronic devices and special tools that were used to break into the properties". Officers also seized 16,950 euros in cash and vehicle documents which linked the suspects directly to the thefts.

The detainees used rented vehicles to travel to the places where they were stealing from properties and were sometimes detected speeding, for which they were fined. However, they used fake names to avoid being traced.

'Well-designed' structure

The detainees belonged to 'an organisation with a well-designed structure and hierarchy', in which the ringleader specialised in breaking in through all types of doors using power tools.

Another of the perpetrators kept watch, making sure no one was at home, or returning home during the time of the burglaries. He was also in charge of transporting the ringleader and the stolen valuables. The third person arrested was in charge of selling the stolen goods.

The operation has resulted in the solving of 70 burglaries. Of these, 33 were solved thanks to the discovery of DNA at the scene.

The detainees, one man from Romania and another from Bulgaria, together with the woman, of Spanish origin, had previous convictions for similar offences. Their ages range from 27 to 46 years old.

They appeared before a judge at the Fuengirola magistrate's court. The investigation remains open as there could be more cases implicating them.

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