Gang dismantled in Spain that stole cargo from moving lorries
Civil Guard officers have arrested ten people accused of carrying out eleven robberies of heavy vehicles. The calculated loss exceeds €480,000.
Gang dismantled in Spain that stole cargo from moving lorries
Civil Guard officers have arrested ten people accused of carrying out eleven robberies of heavy vehicles travelling on motorways across five different provinces. The calculated loss exceeds €480,000. The police operation, carried out between February and May, was conducted with the collaboration of Romanian authorities and the European police coordination office.
Those arrested were part of a cell that employed a sophisticated technique to access the cargo without the transporters noticing. Two powerful cars would position themselves in front of the target vehicle, reducing traffic speed and separating it from the rest. Then, from a lorry specially modified for the purpose, a thief would climb onto the trailer, open the locks with electric tools and throw the products into the accompanying vehicle.
The investigation was directed by the Ceres team of the Toledo police command. Detectives discovered that the suspected criminals moved constantly across European territory, staying in one location for no more than fifteen days. They modified their routes, changed vehicles and used false identities to rent the houses where they lived. They had support points in several EU member states, including France, the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany.
On 13 June last, officers located part of the group in a rental property situated in Cox, a town in Alicante. Four days later, the suspects carried out a new robbery on the A-7 motorway, seizing sixteen television sets worth almost €13,000. The following day, the Civil Guard raided the property and arrested the ten occupants.
One of those detained was wanted by the courts in Romania and Austria through a European warrant. At the property, officers found the lorry and van adapted for the attacks, communications radios, registration plates from different countries and work tools. The recovered televisions have been returned to their owner.
The Orihuela court has ordered provisional imprisonment for all those involved. The arrested individuals have records for property crimes and, in some cases, for attacks on persons.
The original account was published by ABC.
Source: ABC