The Civil Guard investigates 27 jewelry stores in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife for the sale of stolen items
SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, December 15. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Civil Guard, within the framework of ‘Operation Oretel’, has arrested 14 people and investigated another 20, all workers at the Sur-Reina Sofía airport in Tenerife, as alleged perpetrators of the crimes of belonging to a criminal group, robbery with force, damages and money laundering.
The operation began after detecting an increase in the number of reports and complaints filed by travelers, of different nationalities, due to robberies and thefts inside their checked suitcases.
The detainees took advantage of their status as airport workers and when the suitcases were transferred to the plane’s holds, they loaded and unloaded them at a slower pace and with a greater distance between them and also opened the luggage already inside. of the hold, out of sight of the rest of the users, and they punctured the zipper of the suitcases to open them completely.
Once they had stolen the objects they were interested in from inside, including jewelry, cell phones, watches, and electronic devices, they closed the zipper again to leave the suitcase without any sign of tampering, according to a note from the Civil Guard.
Likewise, so that no one could notice these crimes, the detainees placed the suitcases as a parapet between the access door to the warehouse and its interior, they even placed security curtains, specifically rigid canvases, which are actually intended to Ensure that luggage does not move freely inside.
The members of this criminal group were perfectly structured, with functions defined in a hierarchical manner where each one was in charge of one of the parts of the commission of the crime such as choosing the flight, hiding the stolen effects, removing them from the airport facilities, the sale of the effects in jewelry stores or through the internet and the distribution of profits.
To hide the objects stolen from the airport, they used clothing with interior seams made manually or their own personal lockers.
The Civil Guard carried out several searches, both at the lockers of these airport workers and in their private vehicles and homes.
ALMOST 30 HIGH-END WATCHES
In total, 29 high-end watches, 120 pieces of jewelry (gold and precious stones), 22 high-end mobile phones, electronic devices, 13,000 euros in cash and a high-end vehicle were seized.
The value of all the stolen objects recovered amounts to 1,953,571 euros.
The detainees also managed to sell many objects in physical and virtual second-hand stores, which is why 27 jewelry stores in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife are also being investigated.
The investigation has been carried out by the Fiscal Investigation and Border Analysis Unit (UDAIFF) of the Tenerife South Airport with the support of the Citizen Security Unit (USECIC).
The Civil Guard has had the support of the State Aviation Safety Agency (AESA), Spanish Airports and Air Navigation (AENA), as well as the different airlines that operate at Reina Sofía Airport.
The operation has been directed by the Court of Instruction Number 4 of Granadilla de Abona.
