Burglary gang caught
Five people arrested accused of almost 60 criminal acts
GUARDIA have arrested seven people in Alicante and Valencia, six men and one woman, all Spaniards between 28 and 59 years of age, for being the alleged offenders of 58 different crimes.
The list of offences includes burglary, drug trafficking, illegal possession of weapons, squatting, and electricity fraud. Five of the seven detainees have already been imprisoned.
Two brothers from Orba, who both had numerous criminal records, decided to join the gang at the end of 2017, where they began a series of robberies both there and in other nearby towns and villages of the Marina Alta. They targeted isolated homes. They planned their burglaries during the day, monitoring the houses, studying entry points and which objects could be stolen, so that, once night fell, they could commit their crimes.
Usually, they committed robberies in houses where they knew in advance that there would be nobody at home, but one night, in the village of Sanet y Negrals, they were surprised by an owner. They violently attacked her, breaking her wrist in two places.
As their criminal activity increased, their need for someone else to move on the stolen property grew, and two more brothers joined their gang. One of them, who lived in Benidoleig, provided a vehicle for transportation. The fourth brother, who was a resident of Valencia, passed stolen jewellery on to buyers who asked no questions regarding origins.
Their crimes then also spread to drug trafficking, and a supplier from Jávea became their main source. As the robberies kept the gang occupied, the man from Benidoleig, his wife and a friend became more involved in the sale of the drugs, especially in his village and at a farm in the Vall de Laguar.
The ROCA team from Calpe, specialists in thefts committed in rural areas, investigated the movements of the brothers for months, and eventually raided five of their homes. These were located in Orba, Benidoleig, the Vall de Laguar and Jávea, and also Benimámet and Ciudad Fallera, situated in Valencia province. and another in the Vall de Laguar. The house in Benimámet's turned out to be a squat, where electricity was being stolen.
During the searches a gun was found which could have been used in the crimes, as well as ammunition and several amounts of cocaine, hashish and heroin. There were also numerous objects related to the burglaries, such as televisions, tools, farm imple- ments, jewellery and watches. Five vehicles and several telephones belonging to the detainees were seized.
After a court appearance, the four brothers who carried out the drug trafficking and the supplier from Jávea were imprisoned. The other two detainees were released on charges.
The operation allowed the return of several of the stolen objects to their legitimate owners, but many others are still on display in the Guardia Civil in El Verger waiting to be identified by their owners. The Guardia Civil are appealing to anyone who has not been reunited with their property to contact them, in case they are holding it.
Crimes also spread to drug trafficking