An investigation by Guardia Civil, National Police and Catalan regional police has broken up a gang allegedly responsible for 14 violent robberies with firearms, including three in the south of Alicante province.
The assailants disguised themselves as nurses, police or delivery drivers to fool victims, hide their identities and ensure the success of their crimes, according to a spokesperson for the security forces.
The Mossos d’Esquadra launched their investigation in Cataluña in November 2023, following a series of robberies in homes and shops.
Guardia Civil in Almoradí started a separate investigation on April 23 this year, after a woman in Callosa de Segura was threatened with a pistol as she was leaving the jewellery shop she managed and her attackers chased her to her home.
The suspects in this case were also believed to have attempted another raid on a jeweller’s in Cox on June 11, which was foiled by Guardia Civil based in Torrevieja when it was about to take place and officers seized several replica pistols and bladed weapons.
Both crimes in Alicante province were attributed to a very active and mobile gang led by a man who committed robberies alone and with accomplices, who were also suspected of the robberies in Cataluña.
The Guardia, Police and Mossos set up a joint task force and officers searched four homes of the suspects in Blanes and Lloret de Mar (Gerona) on June 15, when they arrested five men and a woman aged between 23 and 45.
The investigation connected them with a 28-year-old man, who was wanted for a different and very violent robbery in Callosa on June 2, in which the victim was stabbed and suffered very serious injuries.
This suspect was tracked down and arrested in Tarragona, while the seventh person arrested is still implicated in another, ongoing investigation by Guardia Civil in Alicante province.
During the operation, officers also shut down a place from which significant amount of drugs were being sold in Lloret de Mar, where they seized cocaine, MDMA, hashish, marijuana and other substances.
In the various searches carried out, officers also seized a total of €38,615 in cash, jewellery, luxury watches, mobile phones and various evidence related to the crimes.
In addition to the 14 robberies with violence and/or intimidation, the suspects are also accused of illegal detention, impersonating public servants, public health offences and belonging to a criminal organisation.
They were put before a court in Vic (Barcelona) on July 17 but the investigation remains open and more arrests have not been ruled out.
