The Civil Guard detained the 23 members of two violent gangs of thieves operating in several provinces
More than 100 crimes committed in Andalusia and Castilla y León have been clarified
Most of the robberies and thefts were committed with great violence, using firearms and prohibited weapons with which they threatened and beat their victims
The value of the stolen thing exceeds 400,000 euros and the effects were sent to Romania and Germany where they were sold on the black market
The Civil Guard, within the framework of Operation Karma, has dismantled two violent criminal organizations dedicated to robberies with violence and intimidation in homes and public establishments in the provinces of Malaga, Cordoba, Seville and León.
Three detonating pistols have also been apprehended, one for firing squad, one for muzzle-loading, a 12-gauge shotgun, abundant ammunition, a machete, a sword, several geolocators and GPS and high-power frequency inhibitors. It has also been intervened numerous machines to perform thefts such as shears, tools, clubs, riveting guns, punches, punches, and effects to hide and avoid being identified when committing thefts.
The investigation began in 2018 after several robberies occurred in homes and businesses in the localities of Cuevas de San Marcos and Archidona (Malaga) with the same modus operandi, which generated social alarm in the area.
The investigators detected two criminal organizations, one of Romanian citizens and another of Spanish, who were acting in a coordinated and joint manner, usually at dawn and with great violence.
These organizations were based in different towns of the region of Antequera, from where they moved to the provinces of Seville and Cordoba to commit robberies. They committed the assaults inside homes, warehouses, bars and shops, specializing in recent months in stealing only cash from cash registers. The value of the effects and the money stolen exceeded 400,000 euros.
To commit the robberies they used the moon landing and the butron, indistinguishably, breaking cash registers, doors, windows and shop windows through which they accessed the homes and shops. They used all-terrain vehicles, which had previously been stolen, to embed them against the door of the establishments and their shop windows. They loaded the stolen effects in their vehicles to later transfer them to their homes where they were hidden.
Extreme security measures to avoid detection by the Security Forces and bodies, even stopping vehicles stolen with gas cylinders in hidden field areas to avoid being recorded by security cameras. In addition, they traveled with vehicles to the place where they were going to commit the assaults and carried out counter-surveillance to avoid being arrested. Stolen vehicles were abandoned in towns near their homes, burning them to eliminate the traces.
Once they accumulated a large booty, they moved the stolen goods to Romania and Germany where they were sold on the black market. The money was transferred by a woman of the organization, who was hidden in his clothes, and traveled by bus to avoid instilling suspicion.
Violent actions
Most of the thefts and robberies carried out were committed with great violence, even threatening and beating their victims. They carried firearms and various forbidden weapons with which they were intimidated. They always acted with balaclavas, masks and gloves to avoid being identified.
If they were surprised by the agents while they were committing the robberies, they immediately fled and did not hesitate to attack the police vehicles, even throwing small diameter skewers to burst the tires of the vehicles. On four occasions they carried out these actions, leaving damaged National Police and Civil Guard vehicles.
The arrested and investigated have numerous criminal records for various crimes against the patrimony, drug trafficking and even one of them for homicide that includes a search warrant, arrest and entry into prison.
This operation has been carried out by the Judicial Police team of the Civil Guard of the Company of Antequera, with the support of the GRS-2 of Seville, USECIC of the Comandancias de Sevilla and Córdoba, Servicio Cinológico de Málaga, ROCA Teams of Antequera (Málaga) and Osuna (Seville), Judicial Police Team of Puente Genil (Córdoba) and several patrols of Citizen Security of the Company of Antequera and Lucena (Córdoba).
