Agents of the National Police and the Civil Guard arrested seven people, aged 20 to 66, allegedly responsible for several offenses of forceful theft and membership in a criminal group.
The Traveling Crime Group of the General Directorate of Aragon and the Judicial Police Group of the Civil Guard have dismantled a traveling criminal group responsible for thirteen thefts with force in companies in industrial zonesincluding the theft of copper from railway installations. During the operation, seven people were arrested: six in Zaragoza and one in Mejorada del Campo (Madrid), for his involvement in receiving stolen goods.
The criminal group had been active since July and was dedicated to carrying out thefts in industrial areas and rural areas far from urban centers in various Spanish provinces, such as Lérida, Navarra, Valencia and Guadalajara. Of the thirteen crimes charged, two took place in the province of Teruel (Sarrión and Cella) and six others in Zaragoza (Garrapinillos, Figueruelas, Gallur and Zaragoza), as detailed in a press release from the National Police.
Criminals took advantage of the darkness of the night and the lack of activity in industrial areas to force access to businesses through various techniques. They proceeded to break down walls, cut fences or even force security doors. Once inside, they focused on steal tools and large quantities of coppereven if they did not exclude other valuable goods.
VIDEO | The National Police and the Civil Guard dismantle a criminal group that operated throughout the country
One of the most serious incidents occurred on October 30, when 1,295 meters of copper cable were stolen from the catenary of a railway line at the Miraflores maintenance station, in Zaragoza. This material, valued at more than 40,000 euros, caused significant damage, not only because of its cost, but also because of the rail service disruptions and negative economic effects for the industrial sector.
After the thefts, the criminal group transported the stolen material to a fixed reception point. It was a scrapyard whose owner was also arrested. The agents carried out searches in two houses in Zaragoza, where the money and tools used to commit the crimes were seized.
The detainees, who There are more than a hundred criminal recordswere placed at the disposal of the investigating court number 12, which was on duty, and were released with charges.
