The National Police have arrested a member of a criminal organisation in Orihuela who was involved in a series of violent robberies targeting jewellery shops in France. The arrest took place as part of an international operation coordinated by Europol, which also included searches across Barcelona, Tarragona and Sweden. The wider crackdown resulted in three arrests and left one additional suspect under investigation.
The joint police operation was carried out on 17th June following a European Investigation Order issued by judicial authorities in Caen, France. Officers worked in close coordination with Europol and the French Gendarmerie Nationale. Information sharing between European law enforcement agencies enabled investigators to link various targets across different countries and pinpoint suspects residing or operating in Spain.
Investigators connected the criminal network to violent raids on jewellery shops across the Brittany region of France during 2024. Specific heists were carried out on 1st and 6th March in the towns of Bayeux and Belfort. During one of these attacks, the group targeted a jewellery representative and stole items valued at 300,000 euro.
Law enforcement noted that the highly mobile network operated across international borders, making close cooperation between European forces vital. Over time, the organisation began to fracture as members relocated, requiring coordinated action across multiple jurisdictions.
Following months of investigation, officers located one of the primary suspects in Barcelona. During a raid on a home in the city involving the National Police Special Operatives Group (GOES), the Mossos d’Esquadra and the Gendarmerie Nationale, a 34-year-old man was detained. Officers seized five mobile phones alongside four packages of ketamine weighing approximately three kilogrammes with a purity exceeding 85 per cent, leading to further drug-related charges.
Simultaneously, another group member was questioned under investigation in Tarragona. In Orihuela, the National Police executed a European arrest warrant to detain a further member of the syndicate. Meanwhile, Swedish authorities searched a property in Sweden, arresting one individual and seizing several mobile phones relevant to the probe.
