Officers from the National Police have arrested four people in the Alicante towns of Benidorm and San Vicente del Raspeig for their alleged involvement in fraud, money laundering, and membership of a criminal group. The suspects reportedly defrauded a company out of more than 380,000 euro by creating simulated invoices for the sale of wooden pallets.
The police investigation began after representatives of the affected company lodged a formal complaint at the police station in Benidorm. Managers discovered that one of their employees was submitting invoices for pallet purchases that were completely disproportionate to the actual operational needs of the business.
When confronted by company executives, the employee, a 48-year-old man, admitted that the invoices were simulated. He disclosed that a total sum of 383,328 euro had been diverted through the fraudulent scheme.
Following the revelation, investigators established that three other individuals were allegedly involved. These three men had worked for the firm that supplied pallets to the victimised company for several years. Police confirmed that the issued invoices were entirely fake, as no physical goods were ever exchanged, and the transactions served solely to transfer money.
According to police sources, the two primary suspects — the 48-year-old employee and the man delivering and collecting the invoices — had agreed to draft and pay the fraudulent bills, splitting the proceeds equally between them. To make the invoices appear legitimate and avoid raising suspicion among company directors, they signed the documents using various handwriting styles to suggest multiple staff members had processed them. Once payment transfers were completed, the supplier’s representative withdrew the cash and handed over the agreed 50 percent share to the employee.
Analysis of the commercial records between both companies revealed that while normal trading had taken place previously, transaction values surged by more than 1,200 percent over four years. Annual billing jumped from around 15,000 euro in 2021 to approximately 200,000 euro in 2025, marking the timeframe during which the criminal activity took place.
Officers conducted a search at the home of the primary suspect, where they uncovered 15 envelopes each containing 1,000 euro, securing a total of 15,000 euro in cash. He was promptly arrested on suspicion of fraud, money laundering, and criminal group membership.
Police subsequently identified the 46-year-old man responsible for delivering the fake invoices. He was located and arrested in San Vicente del Raspeig. At the time of his arrest, officers seized 1,045 euros in cash from him. Subsequent searches of his two residential properties yielded a further 31,445 euro hidden in various locations.
The investigation concluded with the arrest in San Vicente del Raspeig of the two official heads of the recipient company, aged 32 and 34. The pair were the sons of the 46-year-old suspect who had arranged the fake billing scheme. As directors, they had granted their father full access to the corporate bank accounts. Both were arrested on suspicion of fraud, money laundering, and belonging to a criminal group.
Investigators also uncovered attempts to launder the stolen funds. The first suspect had made multiple money transfers to Ecuador, allegedly to purchase real estate. Meanwhile, the second suspect attempted to evade accountability by shifting administrative control of the business to his sons and withdrawing corporate capital after registering as self-employed to obscure the audit trail.
All four detainees have been placed at the disposal of the Duty Investigating Court in Benidorm.