Three partners – identified by investigators as a criminal group – decided to travel in April from Tenerife to Gran Canaria. They did so by ferry, with a rental car on board to move quickly around the island, and they had only one goal: to steal as many branded garments as possible that day before returning to Santa Cruz de Tenerife, where they reside. Las Arenas shopping centre, Mesa y López stores, Las Terrazas… They visited almost every major store. But upon their return to Puerto de la Luz, they were caught by the Guardia Civil and could not explain the origin of the items they were trying to hide in the boot.
After months of investigation, the agents were able to prove – through the viewing of hours and hours of images captured by security cameras – the theft of objects worth 5,000 euros in at least nine stores in Gran Canaria.
The investigated events took place on April 27. The Guardia Civil of Puerto de La Luz, in coordination with the Judicial Police Unit of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Command, detected three individuals – two women and one man – at the vehicle boarding check of the ferry behaving suspiciously. Upon a quick external inspection, several items of clothing were found protruding from the luggage carrier, leading the officers to inquire about their origin. They were in a rental car and their responses were inconsistent. The officers’ skill made them suspect they were hiding something.
They decided to identify them at the passenger screening checkpoint and ordered them to open the car boot. Inside, there was a large quantity of products, clothing items, and accessories from well-known brands with their original tags. However, they did not have a single receipt for the goods.
Caught on Camera
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The three occupants were unable to prove ownership of the articles, according to the Guardia Civil. They seized perfumes, clothing, sunglasses, and brand handbags. The investigation began at that moment. Thanks to the camera review and checks conducted, it was discovered that the group had operated in at least nine stores located in Las Arenas shopping centre, the Mesa y López area, and Las Terrazas shopping centre in Telde.
The cameras left no room for doubt, as the three individuals were caught stealing by the establishments’ security devices. They are accused of a continuous theft offence and being part of a criminal group for carrying out each of the associated acts typical of this type of criminal activity. Upon receiving the complaints, the Guardia Civil verified that the items totalled €4,967.
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“Some of the establishments did not realize the thefts until the investigators arrived at the shop,” explain sources close to the investigation: “They had not yet completed their inventories and had not noticed the missing items. It has been a meticulous job of reviewing cameras.”
