SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Jan. 3 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The National Police has completed the first phase of a police operation, in which the Deputy Directorate of Customs Surveillance has collaborated, with which it has been possible to dismantle a criminal organization based in the south of the island of Tenerife.
Thus, 33 alleged members of said organization dedicated to the systematic commission of scams on elderly foreign tourists who were staying in different municipalities in the south of the island, mainly in Adeje and Arona, have been arrested.
At the moment, investigators have identified 1,805 victims, nationals of countries such as the United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Austria, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Italy, Estonia, Ireland, Czech Republic, Latvia and Hungary, and it is estimated that the total economic damage caused amounts, up to this moment, to more than four million euros.
The investigation dates back to 2022 when the agents became aware of the possible existence of a criminal organization that, based in the south of Tenerife, had the purpose of systematically committing scams on elderly foreign tourists, through small convenience stores. sale of technological items, the National Police reports in a note.
The members of the organization, with a pre-established distribution of roles, selected the victims and offered them technological devices at a low cost.
If the tourist accepted, he was transferred to an establishment, belonging to another level of the organization, which obtained information from the victims regarding the place of accommodation and the date of return to their country.
Under the pretext of configuring the devices and installing applications for recreational use, they retained the purchased items and met with the victims to deliver them before their departure.
Once they were sure that the tourist had left national territory, they began to make fraudulent charges on their credit cards through the POS terminals of a complex network of department stores located in the south of Tenerife.
ONE MILLION EUROS INTERVENED
At the moment, the National Police has arrested 33 people for alleged responsibility for the crimes of criminal organization, money laundering and fraud, it has seized one million euros in cash in the different searches carried out, it has blocked capital greater than million euros distributed in more than 300 bank accounts and 42 real estate properties, as well as numerous jewelry and 17 luxury vehicles, one of them exceeding the value of 160,000 euros.
The main people responsible for the organization, five men, were placed in preventive detention after being brought to justice.
The investigation by the National Police continues, now in its patrimonial phase, and it is not ruled out that new victims will be identified and new arrests will be made.
For this reason, the National Police has articulated through Europol police cooperation channels with the security forces of the countries of those affected to contact the victims, provide them with advice in the process of communicating the criminal acts, appear in person in the process and be compensated for the economic damage that has been caused to them.
