International gang dismantled over robberies at Spanish airport shops
The Guardia Civil has arrested 24 members of the Preda clan, accused of assaulting shops at nine European airports and laundering proceeds through second-hand car sales businesses.
International gang dismantled over robberies at Spanish airport shops
The Guardia Civil has arrested 24 members of the Preda clan, accused of committing 24 assaults on shops located at airports across Europe. The affected establishments are located in Antwerp (Belgium), Lisbon and Porto (Portugal), as well as at Spanish airports in Tenerife South, Palma, Alicante, Barcelona, Valencia and Santiago. Majorca Daily Bulletin covered the operation.
The operation, carried out by officers from the Fiscal and Borders Section of Tenerife South and Santiago-Rosalía de Castro airports, together with the Customs Surveillance unit of A Coruña, dismantled an organisation with branches in Spain, the United Kingdom and Romania.
All those arrested, of foreign nationality, face charges of membership in a criminal organisation, repeated theft, smuggling of products subject to special taxes, document falsification and money laundering. The investigation points to the crimes having been committed since at least 2019.
The inquiry began in early 2025. Through it, the group's operational centres were located in the Canary Islands, A Coruña, Manchester and Luton, making it possible to dismantle their criminal activity. Gang members carried out surveillance work, distracted staff, stole perfumes and tobacco, and used concealment techniques to avoid detection.
The stolen tobacco was transported by air to the United Kingdom, where its value increased exponentially, to be distributed illegally throughout England through bazaars run by Kurdish and Pakistani nationals. During the operation, several clandestine warehouses were located in British territory.
The group also laundered money through companies engaged in the trade of second-hand vehicles, from which they obtained €4.8 million. Once all the information had been gathered, three search warrants were executed: one at a residence in Teo (A Coruña) and two at industrial premises in Padrón (A Coruña), where the ringleaders were apprehended.
During the searches, numerous mobile phones, cash in various currencies, a gold ingot, jewellery, a large quantity of tobacco and abundant documentation were seized. In addition, 13 bank accounts in Spain were blocked and, following a European Investigation Order, a further 12 in Lithuania and 24 in Romania.
Monitoring of bank transactions made it possible to identify eight shell companies engaged in the sale and purchase of second-hand cars, created successively and in cascade to hinder the tracing of money and evade the controls of the Tax Agency. In total, 2,221 cigarette packets, more than 109 kilos of loose tobacco, €2,735, £985, a gold ingot, 42 vehicles were seized, and a precautionary embargo was ordered on a further 51 in the Moveable Property Register.
Source: Majorca Daily Bulletin