Six arrested on Costa del Sol for renting out squatted houses

Police have arrested six people in Malaga who allegedly broke into homes, fitted them out and then rented them to tenants.

Four of those investigated squatted in houses which they subsequently kitted and rented out, and if the tenants did not pay the required monthly rent, they allegedly broke in and robbed them. The other pair arrested were in charge of disposing of the stolen goods, according to Spain's National Police force.

Two of those detained lived in a squatted property where they had set up a marijuana laboratory. In a raid, officers seized 103 marijuana plants, 115 grams of hashish, a set of scales, some 9,335 euros, ten mobile phones, eight watches, several pieces of gold, more than fifty security keys, and high-end handbags, and clothes.

Operation Postigo

The investigation, carried out by officers from the provincial police headquarters in Malaga, started after a numbers of thefts were linked where thieves always stole technological equipment, and cash.

The use of one of these stolen devices then led investigators to identify one of the alleged perpetrators of the burglaries.

During the investigation, police received a call from one of the tenants who the suspects had rented out a squatted home to, who complained that they had just been robbed. Officers determined that the thief was the same person who had rented out the property to him.

The case against those arrested will be heard at Malaga Magistrate's Court.