The Civil Guard has arrested 27 members of an organization specialized in home robberies, who are also accused of other crimes such as vehicle theft, drug trafficking and robberies with violence and intimidation. In total, there are more than 77 crimes committed in the provinces of Alicante, Murcia, Valencia, Albacete, Castellón and the Canary Islands, while the value of the recovered effects exceeds 100,000 euros.
One of the investigated groups moved from Alicante to the Canary Islands, where, taking advantage of the large influx of tourists during the Carnival celebration, carried out a campaign of robberies with force in hotels and tourist apartments. The investigations carried out made it possible to find out the day that this group returned to the Peninsula to deposit the loot obtained and return again to the Archipelago to continue with the robberies.
Upon arrival at the Madrid-Barajas airport, they were arrested and 10,000 euros in cash, one kilo of gold in jewelry, including pieces valued at around 12,000 euros, and various allegedly false documents were seized.
'VAQUEROS' OPERATION
The 'Vaqueros' operation took place in Alicante, Murcia and Madrid. The network was divided into three groups that were dedicated to robberies in homes, hotel centers and shopping centers respectively. Among the clarified crimes are two robberies with violence in which the detainees beat and injured the victims.
The investigations began in September of last year, when the Civil Guard managed to identify the components of one of the groups of this network, specialized in robberies with force inside homes. Continuing with the investigations, it was possible to find out that the network was made up of several cells based in Alicante, whose members, with extensive criminal records, were led by a leader who energized and organized the activity of the organization.
This specialized group constituted the bulk of the network and had a distribution of the work of each of its components. One person was in charge of carrying out surveillance work and providing security to the other members of the group who entered the homes, as well as picking up their colleagues with a vehicle when the robberies were finished.
These robberies sometimes resulted in violent actions, as happened in the town of Los Nietos-Cartagena (Murcia), where its residents, an elderly couple, were beaten and threatened with knives. The effects they obtained from the robberies were sometimes sold in Spain to habitual receivers and other times they were sent to their countries of origin where they were released.
THEFTS IN SHOPPING CENTERS
A third group was dedicated to committing thefts of clothing and other items in shopping centers. To do this, the now detainees manufactured large cardboard boxes that they covered with plenty of aluminum foil, inside which they placed the garments they intended to steal. These boxes prevented the sound signal emitted by the security devices placed on the garments from being detected by the alarm systems. They also wrapped the garments in wrapping paper, which made it appear that it was an effect purchased in another store.
In the searches carried out in the homes of the detainees, three of these boxes used by the gang have been recovered, as well as some 2,000 garments packed and prepared for transport to North Africa, the destination for the sale of this stolen merchandise.
DETAINED
In Alicante, H.H.B., an Algerian, 38 years old, S.C.N., Spanish, 26 years old, K.Y., French, 35 years old, M.A., Moroccan, 31 years old, A.D., Algerian, 32 years old, N.B., Algerian, 32 years old, B.F., Palestinian, 36 years old, N.B., Algerian, 28 years old, O.D., Algerian, 30 years old., E.A.D., Bulgarian, 35 years old, J.S.M., Spanish, 27 years old, I.L., Algerian, 22 years old, R.S., Algerian, 22 years old, S.A., Algerian, 28 years old, C.B., Algerian, 22 years old, M.A., Algerian, 38 years old, M.R., Algerian, 33 years old, and M.B., Moroccan, 35 years old have been arrested.
In Murcia, the detainees are A.M.M., Spanish, 36 years old, M.S.G., Spanish, 50 years old, M.S., Algerian, 27 years old, and H.J., Algerian, 22 years old. In Madrid, L.W.G., French, 36 years old, B.B., French, 45 years old, and N.H., French, 23 years old, have been arrested, while in Alfaz del Pí (Alicante) the initials of the detainees are P.M.C., Dutch, 53 years old, and A.N.C., Dutch, 21 years old.
Nine home searches have been carried out: one in Murcia, one in Crevillente (Valencia), another in Campello (Valencia) and six in Alicante, in which false documentation, drugs and precision scales, cash, a vehicle, a large amount of jewelry and effects from robbery have been seized. It is estimated that the value of all these recovered effects amounts to about 90,000 euros. Likewise, 2,000 garments from commercial brands such as Springfield, Zara, Massimo Dutti, P&B, H&M, C&A, Celio, Bershka, Levis or Lacoste have been recovered. The value of these garments amounts to about 15,000 euros.
The investigations have been carried out by members of the Organized Crime Team (ECO) of the Civil Guard of Alicante, under the coordination of the Investigating Court number two of Torrevieja (Alicante), having intervened in certain phases of the operation members of the Useci of the Command of the Civil Guard of Alicante.
ACN Press
