Minimum prison sentences handed to gang over violent Vega Baja robberies and Dolores arms stash

The Provincial Court of Alicante has handed down minimum prison sentences to four individuals arrested by the National Police in the Vega Baja region in 2022 for violent armed robberies and for storing five Molotov cocktails in a garage in Dolores, along with bulletproof vests, military helmets, tools for forcing doors, and other items intended for committing crimes. The defendants, two of whom were represented by lawyer Roberto Sánchez Martínez and one by lawyer Mariana Ivanov, accepted sentences ranging from seven months to two years in prison. However, none will initially have to serve time, as the court agreed to suspend the execution of the sentences for four years, provided they do not reoffend.

The sentence, handed down by the Second Section of the Provincial Court of Alicante and declared final after a plea agreement between the defence and the prosecution, brings to a close a case that dated back to 2022 and had been stalled for extended periods due to circumstances beyond the control of the defendants. This situation allowed the court to apply the highly mitigating circumstance of undue delay to all the defendants, which contributed to reducing their sentences.

The court ruling convicts two of the defendants, a Bulgarian and a Lithuanian citizen, for attempted robbery with intimidation at a home in La Cañada del Fenollar, Alicante, and for a violent assault on a couple in an attempt to steal their high-end vehicle in San Miguel de Salinas. Both were also convicted, along with two other defendants, for storing incendiary devices in a garage in Dolores, which they used as a base of operations. The prosecution initially sought 11-year prison sentences for two of them and four years for the other two, but these were reduced to minimum sentences after an agreement with the defence.

The events were investigated by the Specialised Crime Group of the Judicial Police Brigade of Alicante, in an operation in which agents from the Narcotics Group also participated and which initially resulted in six arrests, most of them in Dolores.

The court ruling establishes that the first robbery took place at approximately 4:30 p.m. on 25th April 2022, at a villa in La Cañada del Fenollar, Alicante. The two main defendants went to the house with the intention of robbing it. The first one jumped over the stone wall surrounding the property and, once inside, opened the door to allow his accomplice access.

One of the residents was cleaning the pool on the property when he was surprised by the assailants. One of the accused approached him, pulled a gun from a bag, and pointed it at him. The owner managed to take refuge inside the house and began shouting that he was going to call the police.

The screams alerted his brother, who entered the property and was also held at gunpoint by one of the criminals. Faced with the victims’ reaction, the two assailants fled hastily in a black BMW 520 without managing to steal anything.

The second incident occurred on 8th June 2022, in San Miguel de Salinas and had more serious consequences for the victims. According to the established facts, the same two defendants, accompanied by a third individual who has not been identified and who remained in the car, intercepted a couple travelling in an Audi Q7.

The assailants parked their BMW behind the luxury vehicle and threatened its occupants with a gun, demanding the driver hand over the keys. The man refused, and the criminals began to beat him. They knocked him to the ground, kicked and punched him, and even struck him with the butt of the gun while continuing to demand the SUV keys.

During the attack, the victim dropped her mobile phone, which was stolen by one of the assailants. The violence was also directed at the woman. A Bulgarian defendant shoved her hard, causing her to fall to the ground, and, while pointing a gun at her, demanded she hand over her car keys. He also kicked her several times.

The criminals tried to open the Audi, but it was locked. They finally left after discovering the couple’s minor daughter inside.

The man suffered injuries, while his wife was unharmed. As a result of these events, the two main defendants must pay the victim 599€ in compensation, of which 360€ is for the injuries and 239€ for the stolen phone.

The police investigation led to the discovery of a garage in Dolores that the suspects used to store materials for their criminal activities. On 15th June 2022, officers searched the property and found five homemade incendiary devices, known as Molotov cocktails, containing a mixture of gasoline and diesel fuel.

The expert report included in the proceedings confirmed that they were indeed incendiary devices. Four of them had fuses attached, made from a piece of cloth soaked in fuel, while the fifth was sealed with a stopper and could have been awaiting fuse attachment or used to refill the others.

In the same garage, seven bulletproof vests, four military helmets, six communication devices, balaclavas, handcuffs, gloves, and Spanish and foreign licence plates were seized.

Also found were two large axes, six sledgehammers, a geolocation device and a hydraulic spacer used to open doors, as well as an air rifle, a money counting machine and another machine intended for packaging marijuana.

The quantity and characteristics of the seized material had led investigators to believe that the group was prepared to commit further serious crimes against people, which is why the police operation to arrest its members was launched.

The Provincial Court has sentenced two defendants to six months in prison for attempted robbery at a home in La Cañada del Fenollar, 11 months for the violent assault in San Miguel de Salinas, and another seven months for possession of incendiary devices. Each defendant thus received a total of two years in prison, in addition to two fines of 15 days at a daily rate of 6€ for the minor offences of assault and battery.

The other two defendants have been convicted solely for depositing the Molotov cocktails, receiving prison sentences of seven months each.

However, none of the four will initially have to serve their prison sentences. The court has agreed to suspend them for four years on the condition that they do not reoffend during that period.

The operation that dismantled the group began after the National Police learned of the release from prison of a Bulgarian citizen with a long criminal record for robberies who was living in Redován. Investigators suspected he was trying to reorganise a criminal group to resume his illegal activities, so they established surveillance and monitoring operations that allowed them to identify the alleged members of the organisation, their homes, and the warehouse they used.