Eleven arrested for organising illegal street racing in Toledo, Cuenca and south Madrid
The Civil Guard has arrested eleven men aged between 18 and 25 on suspicion of involvement in a network dedicated to organising illegal street races in several Spanish provinces.
Eleven detained in operation against illegal street racing in multiple provinces
The Civil Guard has arrested eleven people on suspicion of involvement in an organisation dedicated to organising illegal vehicle races at various locations across Spain, according to ABC. The operation resulted in the seizure of four vehicles and various materials used in these gatherings, including flares and balaclavas.
The eleven arrested are men aged between 18 and 25, of different nationalities and with police records. They are accused of reckless driving, forging documents, simulation of crime, serious disobedience to police officers and membership of a criminal organisation.
Social media surveillance during the summer
The investigation was conducted by officers from the Traffic Unit, who detected the activity during the past summer while monitoring social media and other communication channels. After months of investigation, the officers were able to identify the group members and proceed with their arrest.
The organisers called the so-called 'meetups' through social media and messaging applications, setting the location, date and time of the gathering in advance. Once gathered, they would exhibit modified vehicles to increase their performance and engage in races both at the meeting points and during trips between different towns.
Up to 500 participants at a single gathering
These gatherings typically took place at weekends and brought together more than 500 people from different autonomous communities. The main locations were in municipalities in the south of the Madrid region, such as Fuenlabrada, Pinto, Valdemoro and Coslada, although the activity also extended to Toledo, Cuenca and Navarre.
The organisers, who also participated in the races, adopted various measures to make identification difficult: they used balaclavas, tampered with registration plates and had specific protocols to try to evade police action if located.
Serious risk to road safety
The officers consider that these practices posed a serious risk to road safety. In addition to the alleged crimes committed during the gatherings — reckless driving and document falsification — the participants endangered other road and motorway users while racing at speed during trips.
The operation remains open and investigators do not rule out further action related to this organisation.
Source: ABC