SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 6th July (EUROPA PRESS) –
Civil Guard officers from the Main Post of Los Llanos de Aridane, as part of Operation ‘Medievil’, have initiated proceedings to investigate six individuals linked to the theft of historical artefacts from the birthplace of Cayetano Gómez Felipe, valued at over 17,250 Euros.
The suspects face multiple charges including theft, vandalism of historical and cultural artefacts, and trespassing, all in connection with the theft and subsequent recovery of various historical and cultural items catalogued in the LAVA system of the Canary Islands government.
The criminal activities had been ongoing since early March, with the six accused reportedly gaining regular access to the residence where Cayetano Gómez Felipe was born, situated in the municipality of Los Llanos de Aridane. They pilfered a variety of items from the extensive collections housed within, belonging to the Cayetano Gómez Felipe Museum in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, which were then sold in second-hand stores or through private transactions.
Through the diligent investigation conducted by Civil Guard officers, substantial evidence was gathered to identify, track, and probe the suspects. This ultimately led to the recovery of the stolen artefacts, returning them to their original location. The stolen items comprised a range of collectables depicting trades, weaponry, and daily life in the Canary Islands during the 19th and 20th centuries. These items were part of the Recovery Plan for La Palma, focusing on Culture and Heritage, and were incorporated into the LAVA cataloguing initiative (Cultural Heritage Information System of the Islands) for the proposed Cayetano Gómez Felipe Museum of Ethnography and History in Los Llanos de Aridane.
The case has been passed on to the Court of First Instance and Investigation on Duty in Los Llanos de Aridane, as well as to the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
