Simon Hunter
THE National Police have busted a gang that was using the so-called ‘pizza slide’ technique to steal money from cash machines, and that involved cracking them open with a homemade explosive device.
A total of seven arrests were made in Cordoba, Malaga and Almeria provinces, with four of the suspects ordered to be held in custody.
There are nine thefts suspected to have been carried out by the gang: eight in the provinces of Granada, Cordoba, Malaga and Almeria, and a ninth in the province of Badajoz, the National Police explained in a statement.
The investigation began in September when the thieves introduced an explosive device into the money-dispensing tray of the ATM, making off with nearly €40,000. The robbery also caused damage to the bank branch for around the same amount.
The method being used by the gang for their robberies is known as the pizza slide due to the similarity of the explosive device to the culinary tool.
A square metal container is attached to a metal bar. Gunpowder is then placed inside the container with a detonator, which in turn is attached to long wires so that it can be detonated from afar.
The container is inserted into the money tray via the bar, and then blown up, cracking open the machine and permitting access to the cash inside.
The members of the gang include a father and son resident in Cordoba, according to the police. Investigators also discovered that the gang was planning more violent crimes and was seeking to acquire handguns, rifles, grenades and bulletproof vests.
Read more:
- Thieves blow up bank ATM to steal €40,000 from Valencia area of Spain
- Masked gang strike again to blow up bank on Spain’s Costa Blanca in ATM raid
- Two explosives blow up outside Malaga city bank branch
