The Guardia Civil has arrested four men and one woman in Calpe, aged between 31 and 59, who allegedly formed a criminal organisation specialised in home burglaries across northern towns in the province of Alicante. During the operation, officers recovered hundreds of pieces of jewellery, diamonds and other precious stones, gold items, ingots, over 200 high-end watches, and cash in various currencies, with a combined value approaching one million euro.
Officers have solved 40 counts of burglary so far and have also recovered several 18th and 19th-century Orthodox religious paintings of significant historical value from the suspects’ country of origin, which have now been returned to their rightful owners.
The investigation, named Operation ‘Locator’, was initiated after officers detected a series of break-ins that followed a distinct pattern. The gang carried out meticulous prior surveillance on targeted properties, using geolocation devices attached to victims’ vehicles to determine the ideal moment to strike. When homes had security alarms, the suspects reportedly tampered with the electrical supply to neutralise sensors and cameras, while electronic deterrents were deployed if guard dogs were present.
Once confirming the owners were absent, members entered the properties using specialist tools, including telescopic ladders, night-vision equipment with recording capabilities, and push-to-talk walkie-talkies connected to earpieces.
Following six searches carried out in Calpe across homes, storage spaces, and a local venue used as a workshop, investigators uncovered an organised receiving network. One of the suspects, a jeweller from his home country, operated a clandestine workshop with specialised machinery. He altered the stolen items, extracted precious stones, and melted gold into sheets and ingots to hinder identification and evade tracking.
The operation was conducted by the Territorial Judicial Police Team and the Investigation Area of the Guardia Civil in Calpe, supported by the Citizen Security Unit (Usecic) of Alicante and the Calpe Local Police, with assistance from Calpe Town Council to transport seized equipment.
The suspects were presented before the Instruction Section of the Instance Court of Dénia, which ordered three of them to be held in prison. Investigations remain open as further victims may be identified.
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