Madrid police dismantle network specialising in robbing jewellery shops, casinos and petrol stations

The National Police and the Guardia Civil have dismantled a criminal group that specialised in burglaries in jewellery shops, petrol stations, luxury goods shops, restaurants and gambling establishments.

The gang operated in the provinces of Toledo and Madrid, with one of their biggest heists being the theft of goods worth 125,000 euros from a luxury goods shop on Madrid's so-called 'Golden Mile', in the Salamanca district.

The operation has led to the arrest of four men accused of 32 crimes and the recovery of goods worth 200,000 euros. The police have also seized a sawed-off shotgun, tools used to commit the robberies and several high-end vehicles.

To carry out the robberies the members of the network used high-powered vehicles they had previously stolen, replacing the registration numbers to hinder police investigations. They would then burn the vehicles to destroy any evidence.

The investigation began in February after the police in the region of Madrid detected a series of robberies that followed the same pattern.

The police discovered that the network had been using a house in Casarrubios del Monte, a town of 7,400 inhabitants in Toledo province, as a logistics centre and distribution point for the loot obtained after each robbery.

The four detainees are accused of burglary, vehicle theft, document forgery, traffic offences, property damage and resisting and disobeying authority.

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