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The Spanish and Italian authorities had been working together for two years to try to track down criminal groups specialising in the theft of luxury watches operating in tourist towns in Spain in an operation known as Zucca-Paranza. They identified a gang of Italian thieves based on the Costa del Sol, some of whom were from Naples and linked to organised crime gangs in the Italian city.
It was the theft of a high-end watch from a British tourist on 2 November in Puerto Banús that led to the downfall of the gang. The victim was robbed of a timepiece worth 50,000 euros.
Five people, four men and one woman, aged between 18 and 52, were arrested as alleged members of the group and have been remanded in custody.
The 'modus operandi' of the suspects was always the same: they chose a target to rob and, after following their victim, two other members of the organisation would spring into action, approaching the victim on a motorbike and carrying out the theft, according to a National Police statement.
After the theft of the luxury watch in Puerto Banús, officers managed to identify the vehicles used by the suspects and follow them to Mijas where they were using a local house as their base. National Police officers arrested the alleged perpetrators when they were on their way, according to the investigations, to carry out a new theft attempt in Marbella. They also seized forged identity documents, 2,710 euros in cash, two vehicles - a car and a motorcycle, several motorbike helmets and items of clothing allegedly used in the crimes.
Spain's National Police force worked closely with Italian Polizia si Stato officers, specifically with the Naples Squadra Mobile and the Italian liaison officer in Madrid, and the luxury watch theft group at Marbella's police station.
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