The Civil Guard dismantled a gang that was stealing copper and damaging the fiber optic network in the Tiétar Valley region, leaving several villages in the province of Ávila without Internet.
As part of Operation Cotiétar, the territorial team of the Judicial Police and the Civil Guard stations of La Adrada and Candeleda arrested five people, three men and two women, accused of two alleged crimes of theft with ladder and two. more damage.
As for the thefts, it concerns the theft of copper cables, worth 160,000 euros, through which they caused damage to the fiber optic network in the amount of 200,000 euros, resulting from the paralysis of the services for three days.
Copper wiring stolen in the Tiétar valley region
The first incident took place on October 18, when the Civil Guard received a complaint from a telecommunications company, in which it reported a cut in the fiber optic line at kilometer 47.8 of the CL-501 road, in Lanzahíta, due to the theft of copper wiring worth 30,000 euros.
Later, on October 28, a new theft of copper wiring was recorded at kilometer 57.53 of the same highway.
On this occasion, the criminals stole 2.8 kilos of cabling, worth 130,000 euros. In addition, they also caused damage to the fiber optic network, leaving several towns in the Region without connection for a day.
Given the seriousness of the events and the social concern generated by the thefts, the Civil Guard opened an investigation which, initially, focused on two men from the region.
Even though, on November 10, following the devices installed in vulnerable areas of the electrical network after becoming aware of these events, as well as the investigations carried out, a citizen security patrol surprised three people while they were cutting cables in copper in the area around kilometer 2.9 of the AV-930 highway, which were stopped.
Likewise, in the vehicle used by the detainees, several fabric bags with already cut copper cables were found, which confirmed their involvement in the theft.
Then, investigations continued until two other people were identified and arrested, involved in the sale of copper stolen from scrapyards.
Thus, all the arrests made it possible to completely dismantle the group responsible for the robberies.
Finally, it was on November 12 that the five detainees were brought to justice.
