The National Police and the Guardia Civil have dismantled an international criminal organisation dedicated to stealing mid-to-high-end vehicles and subsequently reintroducing them into the legal market by forging identification elements and documentation.
The operation has resulted in the arrest of nine people, seven men and two women aged between 29 and 52, and the execution of six property searches across the Alicante municipalities of La Nucia, l’Alfas del Pi, Altea and Villajoyosa.
During the crackdown, officers recovered nine stolen vehicles and seized more than 71,500 euro in cash, a large volume of parts from various dismantled cars, fake identity documents, equipment for opening and stealing cars, devices for reading and modifying electronic control units, and two vehicles allegedly used to commit the thefts.
A network with an international structure
The investigation identified an organisation that was allegedly structured across several levels. The group featured individuals dedicated to the direct theft of the vehicles, a financial arm responsible for economically sustaining the operation, and intermediary companies used to give the stolen cars a legal appearance.
The procedure relied on acquiring written-off vehicles at auctions or scrapyards. These cars retained their original documentation, which was subsequently used to give a new identity to the stolen vehicles.
In this way, the stolen cars could be repaired using parts from the written-off vehicles or re-entered into the legal market with seemingly valid documentation.
Geolocation devices and electronic systems
The group selected vehicles with a high demand in the European market and whose opening and ignition systems were compatible with the technical means available to the suspects. Once a target was located, they installed geolocation devices to track its movements and choose the most suitable time and place to commit the theft.
Afterwards, the vehicles were opened using home-made electronic systems. Following the theft, they were moved to hidden homes or industrial warehouses, where falsified number plates were fitted and work was carried out on them to alter their identity.
Investigators detected two main methods for legalising the cars. In some cases, real documentation from written-off vehicles was used. In others, they resorted to cloning using falsified documents from foreign vehicles, which allowed them to register the car in another country and obtain seemingly legal new documentation.
Searches in four Alicante municipalities
The operational phase included arrests in l’Alfas del Pi, La Nucia, Villajoyosa and Altea. Specifically, three arrests were carried out in l’Alfas del Pi, two in La Nucia, two in Villajoyosa and two in Altea.
Furthermore, six searches were conducted: two in La Nucia, two in l’Alfas del Pi, one in Altea and one in Villajoyosa. Stolen vehicles, parts, tools and documentation allegedly linked to the criminal activity were located inside these properties.
The detainees have been placed at the disposal of the duties investigative courts of Benidorm and Villajoyosa. The investigation remains open, and further arrests, as well as the identification of more victims and stolen vehicles, have not been ruled out.
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