The Guardia Civil of the Region of Murcia has dismantled a criminal group involved in stealing copper cable from the public lighting system at the Region of Murcia International Airport. As part of ‘Operation Addiction’, which was launched under the ‘Plan against copper theft’, officers arrested 11 members of the gang. The individuals are accused of continuous theft, causing damage, receiving stolen goods, and committing environmental offences.
The investigation started when the manager of the Region of Murcia International Airport reported the theft of nearly three kilometres of copper cable from the public lighting network along the airport’s access roads. The damage caused and the estimated replacement costs for the material total more than 280,000 euro.
Guardia Civil officers from the ROCA teams, who specialise in tackling rural theft, took charge of the investigation and discovered that the thefts took place between March and April. The perpetrators had expert knowledge, opening manholes and cutting the lines to extract substantial lengths of cable.
During the investigation, the Guardia Civil found numerous remains of burnt cable, tools, and other evidence in an area within the Murcian district of Corvera. It was discovered that the thieves were burning the plastic insulation off the wiring in the open air to prepare the clean copper for a quick sale. Technical analysis confirmed that this material matched the copper stolen from the airport.
Investigating officers also identified a vehicle that was spotted near the crime scenes during the thefts and later seen at metal waste management centres. At one of these scrap businesses, located in the Vega Media region of Murcia, the Guardia Civil discovered repeated sales of burnt copper.
The criminal group was highly organised, dividing tasks so that certain members handled the theft and the burning of the plastic coating, while others were responsible for receiving and selling the clean metal.
Operation Addiction concluded with the arrest of 11 men. The Guardia Civil has successfully recovered more than one kilometre of the stolen copper cable.
