Gang of burglars ‘used motorhome’ to steal from tourists across Spain
A roaming gang of burglars used a motorhome to carry out thefts and burglaries across areas of Spain popular with tourists, according to police (Picture: Policía Nacional)
A roaming burglary gang stole cash and goods worth almost £175,000 while travelling across popular tourists areas in Spain, police said.
The suspects allegedly used the vehicle as a base as they targeted affluent locations in Valencia, Andalusia, the Balearic Islands and Madrid.
The gang carried out up to 25 stolen property crimes, including £52,000 from an armoured van in Ibiza, according to Spain’s national police.
Seized loot displayed by officers included laptops and iPads, high-quality cameras and lenses, a drone, jewellery, sunglasses and rows of banknotes.
Detectives found that the suspects, who had no known address in Spain, ‘acted in a coordinated manner’, conducting surveillance and tracking before going on to commit acquisitional crimes.
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‘Their objective was to steal money, jewellery, or electronic devices for later sale on the black market,’ the Policía Nacional said.
‘All of them possessed numerous false identities and documents; one of them had as many as 24 different identities.’
A motorhome is said to have been used as a burglary gang’s base of operations as they carried out thefts across Spain (Picture: Policía Nacional)
The police detected the group’s journey by motorhome from Nice on the south-east coast of France – their place of residence – to the Costa del Sol, presumably to commit further crimes.
The four members were arrested in the town of Benalmádena, a beach resort popular with British tourists.
During a search of the motorhome, officers discovered various hidden compartments containing ill-gotten gains.
They recovered a total of €24,000 in cash, €1,000 in various foreign currencies, a 100-franc gold coin, numerous high-value electronic devices and various pieces of jewellery.
In a post on X, the police said they had ‘dismantled’ a group travelling across Spain to ‘commit robberies and thefts’.
A police officer discovers expensive camera kit as he takes part in a search of the motorhome (Picture: Policía Nacional)
The suspects are alleged to have operated mainly in tourist and upmarket areas before they were arrested in Benalmádena.
They specialised in burglaries and thefts from safes and vehicle break-ins, police said. In total, the gang caused ‘economic damage’ close to 200,000 euros (£174,586), according to the force.
Video showed officers searching secret compartments in the motorhome to uncover the haul.
Some of the loot displayed by police after they swooped on the motorhome said to have been used by a crime gang (Picture: Policía Nacional)
The investigation began in September after a safe containing £7,600 was stolen from a shopping centre in Elche city in Alicante.
Detectives linked the gang to 10 other crimes before swooping on the motorhome in the resort town.
Bodyworn footage from the motorhome search also shows police recovering gold rings, bracelet and jewellery hidden in a long sock.
All four suspects have been remanded into custody following their appearance at court, police said.
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