The National Police has apprehended five individuals in La Laguna (Tenerife) for their suspected involvement in a scheme involving high-end mobile phones, with the primary suspect being a distributor affiliated with the complainant company, possessing “privileged access” to the warehouse.
According to a police statement released on Monday, thirteen devices worth approximately 13,000 euros have been recovered.
Since the start of this year, authorities received multiple complaints from a communication and logistics firm regarding the theft of a significant quantity of mobile phones.
These products were delivered to the company and logged; however, they were not distributed to clients as the devices were stolen prior to reaching them, with the total value of the stolen items estimated at 38,000 euros.
The detectives embarked on what would be a challenging investigation, given the vast number of individuals involved, as the initially pilfered phones circulated from one buyer to another until they reached stores situated in the southern region of Tenerife.
“These stores specialise in selling all types of technological merchandise, with tourists capitalising on the low prices of the devices to purchase multiple units before returning to their home countries,” the police concluded, adding that the owners of the shops where these items were sold have also been arrested.
