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Their members can be identified during arrests by their tattoos, but not necessarily by their fake identity documents...
The methods of robbery in Spain by mafia groups or gangs are becoming increasingly sophisticated. These gangs particularly target tourists who stop in holiday areas...
In Spain, the methods of highway robbers are becoming increasingly sophisticated, especially along the AP-7 Mediterranean highway and in holiday areas, where they prefer to rob tourists of handbags, money, jewelry or documents.
The Guardia Civil recently arrested a man in Villena, on the outskirts of the Costa Blanca, who is accused of 40 such robberies in the provinces of Valencia, Alicante and Murcia. The 52-year-old Romanian used a particularly sophisticated method, costanachrichten.com reports.
The map trick
The problem of highway robbers is well known in Spain, and tourists regularly report their experiences with these thieves. Last year, police in Alicante arrested a gang of robbers suspected of 174 thefts.
A suspected highway robber, recently arrested, posed as a lost tourist. He approached foreign travelers at motorway service stations in Spain with a large map and asked for directions. The trick was to keep his victims from seeing what he was doing under the map while he skillfully stole 32,000 euros worth of jewelry and other items.
Often, the victims only realized later that they had been tricked. However, some did, and according to the Spanish Guardia Civil, the robber could become extremely violent, especially if he felt hindered while trying to escape. Police had difficulty catching the suspect because he used several vehicles with different foreign license plates for his robberies along the highway. However, with the help of information from the victims and the tracking of a vehicle, they finally managed to arrest him in Villena. After identifying him, officers discovered that several courts had issued arrest warrants for him.
Gangs operate in rest areas
Most highway robberies in Spain occur in Catalonia between the borders of La Jonquera and Tarragona, but these skilled gangs now also operate using rental cars in the regions of Valencia and Murcia. They do not only attack during the peak travel season; in January, for example, a group of German tourists fell victim to a highway robber using a new trick. In 2023, the Guardia Civil recorded almost 2,700 highway robberies in Catalonia and arrested 170 people. Many of these attacks are carried out by several, up to ten, mafia groups, mainly from Romania, Algeria, Kosovo and Albania . Their members can be identified during arrests by their tattoos, but not necessarily by their fake identity documents.
The victims of these gangs are almost exclusively elderly European tourists, some Ukrainians and increasingly North Africans travelling from Spain to their home countries during the summer. The robbers usually take advantage of the lack of attention of the travelers, distracting them to rob them of their personal belongings or breaking the windows of the cars at night. Their tricks are becoming increasingly sophisticated and the coordination between the members is constantly improving. Recently, they were even able to use a device that sends a jamming signal when the vehicle owner tries to lock his car remotely. Travelers should not stop under any circumstances if the passengers of another vehicle point out a supposedly damaged tire or damage to the car. / Adapt Pamphlet /
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