A gang of migrants who robbed wealthy tourists in luxury hotels in Spain and France, entering their rooms and opening safes, was detained on the Iberian Peninsula. According to the Spanish press, officers from the French National Police, in cooperation with Europol, also took part in the police operation carried out in Spain. As a result, three gang members were detained, and stolen valuables worth more than 750 thousand euros were returned.
The search for the attackers lasted almost a year – the operation to detect them began in August last year when authorities were informed of a series of thefts that occurred in expensive apartments located in a luxury hotel complex in the Spanish city of Chiclana. There it was found out that the gang employed “specialists” with special skills in opening safes.
“The criminals monitored the hotel they planned to attack, and, making sure that there were no guests inside the selected premises, entered it without attracting the attention of other users, using a false key or the “sliding” method,” the Spanish Foreign Ministry said.
At the first stage of the investigation, one of the group members, a French citizen, was caught, and his apartment was thoroughly searched. During the search, law enforcement discovered false identification documents, cell phones, and a complete inventory of items stolen from Chiclana’s home.
Two other attackers were caught after committing another robbery at a luxury hotel located very close to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. As the department explains, among those arrested were a Spanish citizen living in the province of Malaga, and the leader of the group, a man of Algerian origin living in France.
“In the latest robbery, these men stole jewelry, silverware, and luxury bags totaling €450,000. Fortunately, all the stolen items were found during the arrests and returned to their rightful owners. “In addition, on French soil, the group is linked to thefts amounting to half a million euros in Cannes and one million euros in Paris itself, all of which were carried out using the same modus operandi,” the media also reported.
In general, the gang is credited with at least 12 thefts, and the total value of the stolen goods is estimated at 4.5 million euros.