The Guardia Civil has dismantled a criminal group that stole €223,272 worth of products from commercial establishments at Tenerife South Airport, in an operation that concluded with the arrest of 66 individuals, 18 being investigated and three minors also under investigation. The operation, named “Simba free,” has been conducted by agents from the Guardia Civil belonging to the Fiscal and Border Section at Tenerife South Airport since last May, as reported by the armed institute in a statement on Monday.
The operation began upon detecting that a group of individuals was apparently coordinating to steal from commercial establishments located in restricted areas of the airport. Through the investigation, officers discovered that these thefts were occurring at Tenerife South and other airports in the Canary Islands, as well as in Bilbao, Madrid, Málaga, and Alicante.
Throughout the investigation, it was confirmed that they stole large quantities of perfumes and cosmetics, focusing on those of higher economic value, which were subsequently distributed for sale across the national territory and even to third countries.
The organisation had extensive knowledge of the operations, functioning dynamics, and security measures at the airports, taking advantage of the high influx of passengers to act, added the Guardia Civil. To access the secure area, they purchased an inexpensive ticket to operate within the internal shops that had a wide catalogue of high-value products; once they had stolen the merchandise, they exited the airport without taking the contracted flight.
The ringleader of the operation was a young woman from the Canary Islands, who directed and coordinated workgroups, instructing them to steal products from the shelves and hide them in large bags to avoid detection upon leaving the stores. Additionally, during one of the follow-ups conducted, it was confirmed that she travelled to the airport in a rental vehicle, despite not having a driving licence.
It is important to highlight that this group also exploited vulnerable individuals and even minors to commit the thefts, for which they received compensation. One member of the organisation was arrested while carrying numerous perfumes in their luggage, and upon identification, it was discovered that they had purchased the ticket using the ID of a third party, who is currently imprisoned.
During one of the trips to sell the stolen merchandise, one of the group’s members was detected by agents with €30,000 worth of perfumes and presented an invoice from a perfumery where they supposedly bought the products. After conducting the necessary checks, it was confirmed that the invoice was false.
The Guardia Civil considers this criminal group to be fully dismantled and reports that they have recovered items worth over €70,900. Those arrested have been referred to the Court of First Instance and Instruction number 5 in Granadilla de Abona. EFE
