Marbella crime: international gang behind armed villa robberies arrested
The perpetrators would threaten the victims, usually at night, to locate money, valuables and safes
Thursday, 26 February 2026, 13:19
National Police, in collaboration with Albanian authorities, have dismantled an itinerant criminal network linked to four violent armed robberies in Marbella.
The group specifically targeted high-net-worth individuals, using intimidation and physical force to steal luxury goods and cash.
The investigation started following four armed robberies with violence and intimidation. The perpetrators would first select their victims, usually high-net individuals living in semi-detached or detached houses.
Three people would get to the property in question in high-end, high-capacity cars under false names, the registration numbers of which they would often change.
The robberies usually happened between 7pm and 2am. The gang would climb over fences and force doors and windows to gain access. They would communicate via walkie-talkie with earpieces hidden in their chests to avoid using mobile phones.
They would hide their faces using balaclavas and threaten victims at gunpoint to locate valuables, money and safes. Sometimes, they would use physical violence.
The criminal network had several bases: Catalonia, Alicante, Murcia and Malaga. They stayed in isolated rural areas that were difficult to access and communicated with phone lines in the name of third parties, with non-existent identities or those of third parties, falsifying documentation. Investigators were able to establish that they would make a new registration every two weeks.
Phases of the operation
After identifying members of the group, the police set up a two-phase operation. The first step led to four house searches in Albania in September 2025 and the arrest of one suspect. They located another member of the gang in Italy.
The second phase took place in Barcelona in January 2026. The investigators entered two homes and arrested two men. During the searches, they found more than 10,500 euros, four luxury watches and several high-end handbags valued at more than 50,000 euros.
The investigators have also arrested one suspect in Benidorm, who is since then under investigation by the Italian authorities.
The latest arrest happened on Wednesday, when the police located a woman allegedly involved in the network in Barcelona.
The investigation remains open and the police do not rule out further arrests.
