Guardia Civil have arrested a gang of alleged muggers, two in San Miguel de Salinas, one in Orihuela Costa and two in San Pedro del Pinatar.
They are accused of robbery with violence, burglary with forced entry, fraud, criminal damage, falsifying documentation and belonging to a criminal group, according to a spokesperson for the force.
After a mugging was reported in San Miguel de Salinas in August 2023, Guardia Civil detectives in Pilar de la Horadada contacted colleagues in El Campello and Torrevieja, who had similar operations underway investigating the same suspects.
Working together closely, the officers discovered an organised crime gang who constantly changed their addresses and rented vehicles, and used false or stolen documentation, the spokesperson continued.
The suspects, five men aged between 19 and 47, were eventually linked with 22 crimes in provinces around the country, mostly in Alicante but also in AlmerÃa, the Balearic Islands and Tarragona, in which a total of over €122,000 in cash was stolen, including €63,000 from one of the victims.
According to the spokesman, the thieves would watch their chosen victim until they were carrying a larger amount of cash, then steal it using either force, violence or in most cases by distracting the victim by puncturing the tyres of their vehicle.
When officers made the arrests, they searched a house in San Pedro and another in San Miguel, from which they seized €1,584, a drone, 12 pairs of sunglasses, clothing and accessories they used to disguise their appearance, a can of smoke, specialist tools for breaking car windows and puncturing tyres, binoculars, a torch, two computers worth €2,400 and a walkie-talkie.
A court in Torrevieja released the suspects on bail subject to precautionary measures.
The Catalan regional police (Mossos d’Esquadra) and National Police also helped with the case, and arrested other members of the same gang.
