Simon Wade
SIX members of an East European gang who staged 130 robberies on industrial buildings have been arrested in Los Montesinos.
The Policia Nacional and Guardia Civil detained the group and described them as an ‘extremely violent criminal organization’.
Their trail of terror and theft covered industrial premises in Alicante Province; Valencia Province; and the Murcia region.
Robbery victims reported a pattern of similar crimes from September 2020, leading police to link over a hundred incidents to the same criminals.
Other activities from the gang included vehicle theft, document forgery, money laundering and a crime against road safety.
All thefts were carried out between 8.00 pm and 10.00 pm to avoid breaching the mobility restrictions established due to the coronavirus lockdowns.
Mallets, radial saws and mechanical hammers were used to access the buildings.
When police caught the gang red-handed stealing from a Lorquí (Murcia) premises, one attacked officers with ‘extreme violence’, resulting in injuries to three.
That night, six gang members were arrested, all of them of Albanian-Kosovar origin and aged between 39 and 48 years old.
A laptop, false license plates, a large number of tools and 2,400 euros in cash was found in their car.
Seven houses were simultaneously raided Torrevieja, Los Montesinos and Catral, where more tools were seized, along with stolen goods valued at 443,000 euros.
After being handed over to an Elche court, the six detainees were all imprisoned.
One already had a European arrest warrant issued by Belgium, for various crimes of robbery with violence and intimidation.
Many of the stolen items have been returned to their rightful owners and investigations are still continuing.
