The Guardia Civil, as part of operation ‘Hanok’, has dismantled a criminal organisation dedicated to home burglaries, arresting three men and three women aged between 36 and 50.
They were charged them with belonging to a criminal group, burglary with force, burglary with violence and intimidation, theft of vehicles, falsification of documents and identity theft.
In November 2023, Guardia Civil officers in Altea were made aware of a burglary carried out in a house in La Nucía. In this incident, the perpetrators entered the home while the owners were inside, stealing, among other things, a high-end vehicle.
This prompted the Altea officers to open operation ‘Hanok’.
After analysing the scene and the evidence obtained, officers discovered that the perpetrators had followed the victim to his home and that, after the robbery, they fled with the stolen vehicle and another vehicle with which they had arrived.
During their efforts to locate the suspects, the officers found that the alleged perpetrators made use of the stolen vehicle, disguising it with forged licence plates. They also discovered that they had acted in different localities of the Vega Baja, using violence and intimidation in the burglaries.
Investigations by the police revealed a high level of organisation and their modus operandi, in which they chose the victim, followed them and finally gained access to their homes, usually large villas, with their faces covered by hoods so as not to be recognised.
The criminals not only made use of false number plates, they also forged documentation, stealing the identity of third parties to carry out administrative procedures, purchases or even rent houses, changing residence regularly, and even entering and leaving Spain.
Finally, after locating the alleged criminals and with the support of Guardia Civil’s citizen security unit (USECIC) in Alicante, officers carried out the simultaneous arrests of six people, in Orihuela Costa, Rojales, Algorfa and Villajoyosa.
A house in Orihuela Costa was also searched, where a multitude of items which could have been used in the robberies were seized, such as radio frequency jammers, binoculars, tools and computer equipment. Falsified documents, number plates and various vehicle keys were also found, one of which was identified as having been stolen in one of the robberies. In addition, three vehicles belonging to the group were seized, and the stolen vehicle was located in Torrevieja, with the fake number plates and the original ones hidden inside. This vehicle was finally returned to its owners.
The detainees were released but at the disposal of a Villajoyosa court.
