Almost 70 members of criminal gang arrested for stealing from airport shops across Spain, including Malaga

The Guardia Civil have arrested 66 people who were part of an organised group responsible for stealing items worth more than 220,000 euros from airport shops in different parts of Spain, including the Canary Islands and Malaga.

The members of the group were detected in May, as part of Operation Free Simba. Police officers noticed the coordinated actions of several people, initially at the Tenerife Sur Airport, then also in the rest of the Canary Islands and at the Spanish mainland airports of Bilbao, Madrid, Malaga and Alicante.

The perpetrators were targeting expensive perfumes and cosmetics in order to subsequently sell them across the country and abroad. The ringleader was a young woman from the Canary Islands.

The organisation had extensive knowledge of airport operations, dynamics and security measures. It took advantage of the times of day when there was higher passenger traffic. In order to gain access to the security area, they would buy cheap tickets, steal the goods and leave the airport without catching a flight.

They hid the goods in large bags, used hire cars and often bought tickets in the names of third parties. In addition, they used vulnerable people, including minors, to commit the thefts, paying them a commission.

The Guardia Civil intercepted one of the members of the group with 30,000 euros worth of perfumes, while he was on his way to sell the stolen goods. The detainee even presented an invoice from a perfumery, from which he had supposedly bought them, but the police were able to corroborate that it was a false invoice.

A total of 66 people have been arrested. A further 18 members of age and three minors are under investigation.

The Guardia Civil consider the criminal group "totally dismantled". Out of the total value of the stolen goods (223,272 euros), only 70,900 euros have been recovered.