Alex Trelinski
A VIOLENT Albanian gang has been arrested in connection with at least 16 robberies from luxury homes in southern Spain that netted items worth at least €10 million.
The Guardia Civil said the assailants tied up home owners and threatened them with guns to reveal where cash and valuable items were kept.
They added that the crew specialised in hiding their criminal activities to avoid being tracked down by authorities.
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At least 16 robberies have been attributed to them in Cadiz, Cordoba, Malaga, and Sevilla provinces as well as other parts of Spain.
The Guardia started investigations after several robberies in the up-market Sotogrande urbanisation in San Roque last spring and summer.
The gang would carry out a wave of robberies and then return to Albania.
They then travelled back to Spain once they thought police activity to track them had been scaled down.
The Guardia probe discovered the Albanians initially met in Barcelona, Alicante, Murcia, and Malaga to plan robberies before establishing a base at a villa near La Puebla de Cazalla in Sevilla.
Officers pinned down the HQ location and started monitoring the activities of the Albanians.
The crew carried out sophisticated planning before each burglary including analysing security systems and routines of inhabitants.
During the robberies, the gang members hid their faces and were dressed completely in black and wore gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints.
They were only interested in money, jewellery and small luxury objects they could easily put into backpacks before taking them to a support vehicle outside the homes.
The cars had powerful engines and had false licence plates on them.
Once the Guardia had compiled their evidence, they raided the crew’s Sevilla villa, with seven Albanians arrested.
Officers seized €44,500 in cash as well as 23,700 US dollars and 603,000 Ukrainian hryvnias.
Goods removed also included several gold bars and numerous luxury brand items, such as bags, shoes, belts or clothing.
Two vehicles used in the robberies were impounded with tools inside them which were used to break into properties.
Numerous mobile phones and walkie talkie units used during the burglaries were discovered as well as the black clothing worn by the men.
Some of the most valuable items taken were not initially recovered but metal detectors were deployed during a search of the villa’s grounds.
Officers found three firearms used in the robberies and several containers containing 35 watches and 186 high-value luxury jewellery items.
