Burglary Gang with Nationwide Network Arrested in Spain. Police have detained 13 members of a gang responsible for burglaries across five regions in Spain. The thieves operated systematically, selling stolen jewelry through two jewelry workshops. The operation took place ahead of the holiday season.
In Spain, the activities of an organized gang of apartment burglars operating in several regions of the country have been dismantled. According to police, 13 people were arrested, including the owners of two jewelry workshops used by the criminals to sell the stolen valuables. The operation took place ahead of Semana Santa, when the number of burglaries traditionally rises due to residents leaving their homes.
The group, made up mostly of Georgian nationals, used rural hostels and tourist apartments in the province of Guadalajara as hideouts. Burglaries targeted apartments and houses in central areas of Madrid, Valladolid, and Ciudad Real. After a series of robberies, the participants would return to Torrevieja (Alicante), where they led ordinary lives. According to investigators, the criminals could commit up to four burglaries in a single day.
Particular attention was paid to gold jewelry and expensive watches. The stolen items were promptly sent to workshops in Llíria (Valencia) and Madrid, where they were melted down for later sale on the black market. Among the items seized from the suspects were three gold bars, chains, earrings, pendants, and eight watches, some of which have already been returned to their owners.
Police note that the gang members carefully assigned roles: some rented cars and housing for hiding, others selected and monitored targets, and others actually broke into doors and entered apartments. Unusual methods were used to determine whether an apartment had been visited — strips of glue or rubber bands were left on doors to check, by their condition, whether anyone had entered.
The arrests were carried out simultaneously in Madrid, Alicante, Valencia, Guadalajara, and Logroño. During the operation, two suspects tried to flee by car but were blocked by police on a country road. After a brief chase, they were detained, and a search revealed a gold folding knife. Eight of the thirteen detainees were remanded in custody.
The investigation found that the group also assisted foreign criminals in settling in Spain to commit burglaries. Police were able to link this gang to 27 apartment burglaries committed from December last year to March this year. The operation was codenamed 'Cachava' and was the result of joint work between Spanish and Georgian law enforcement agencies.
In recent years, Spain has seen a rise in the number of organized criminal groups specializing in residential burglaries. As a recent incident with the discovery of weapons in a luxury car on the AP-7 highway near Girona demonstrated, as reported by russpain.com, the police pay special attention to combating such crimes and the related black market for stolen goods.
