A criminal group of three people have committed at least 12 robberies in both Spain and France, resulting in the theft of assets worth €4.5 million.
Through a recent statement, the Spanish Ministry of the Interior said that during the police operation carried out in Spain by the French National Police, in collaboration with Europol, two bags were discovered hidden in a compartment containing stolen items worth over €750,000.
According to the Ministry, this discovery led to the identification of the leader of the organisation, who had been operating under nine different names across Europe.
The operation, codenamed “Ébano Azul”, began in August last year when authorities were alerted to a series of thefts that had taken place inside luxury apartment units located in a luxury hotel complex in Chiclana.
After the first steps were taken, it became clear that the authors had special skills in opening security safes. The investigated group monitored the establishment they planned to attack, and after verifying the absence of guests inside the chosen accommodation, they entered it, without drawing the attention of the rest of the users, using a false key or by the “slip” method.
Moreover, after the first phase of the investigation, one of the group’s members, a French citizen, was caught, and their apartment, a luxury villa where an apparently wealthy family was vacationing, was subjected to a thorough search. During the search, law enforcement revealed false identification documents, cell phones, and a complete inventory of items stolen from Chiclana’s residence.
As a result of this joint effort, the two remaining members of the criminal group were caught shortly after committing another robbery at a high-end hotel located very close to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. As the Ministry explains, the arrested persons included a Spanish citizen residing in the province of Malaga and the leader of the group, a person of Algerian origin residing in France.
The same authority noted that during their latest robbery, these people stole jewellery, silverware and luxury bags, collectively valued at €450,000. Fortunately, all the stolen items were recovered during the arrests and returned to their rightful owners.
Furthermore, 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 carried out using the same modus operandi. At least 12 thefts are attributed to him, with a cumulative value of stolen goods estimated at €4.5 million.
