SHARE
COPY LINK

CRIME

Spain smashes burglary gang that targeted footballers’ homes

Spanish police on Wednesday said that they had busted a burglary gang that targeted luxury properties in Madrid, including the homes of at least two top-tier La Liga players.

Spain smashes burglary gang that targeted footballers' homes
Real Madrid's Brazil winger Rodrygo was among the footballers targeted by the burglars. (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP)

Six suspects were arrested in connection with “eight house burglaries since July 2022”, a police statement said.

Police sources said that among the houses targeted were those of Real Madrid’s Brazil winger Rodrygo and Colombia striker Radamel Falcao, who plays for rival Madrid team Rayo Vallecano.

They refused to say whether any more footballers were affected.

To scope out their targets, the burglars “would check social media, studying the photographs and videos that the footballers and their friends and family would post from inside their homes,” the statement said.

That enabled them to earmark valuable objects and where they were, but social media posts also tipped them off as to “when the owners were not at home”.

They would visit the properties to look at the outside to study the types of security systems being used and to scope out the best way to get in.

The suspects were arrested on eight charges of robbery with force, one of robbery with violence or intimidation, falsifying documents and money laundering among others, with a judge ordering three of them to be remanded in custody.

The incident that tipped off police to their activity took place in May 2023 in the northern suburb of Alcobendas with a theft mainly involving luxury watches and jewellery that was worth some 500,000 euros ($550,000).

During the arrest operation, police seized 10 luxury watches, jewels and more than 3,300 euros in cash, along with two air pistols.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

CRIME

Spanish police smash international drug-smuggling ring

Spanish police have smashed an international network led by Turkish nationals suspected of smuggling "large amounts" of marijuana and heroin from Spain to other European nations, police said on Tuesday.

Spanish police smash international drug-smuggling ring

Raids in 28 locations in the southern cities of Granada, Málaga and Seville earlier this month netted caches of money and weapons, as well as 10 luxury vehicles and over two tonnes of marijuana, Spain’s Guardia Civil police force said.

Officers arrested 36 suspects from 10 nations as part of the operation, including the suspected leader of the network, a man of Turkish origin who lived in Spain and was the target of an international arrest warrant issued by Turkey, they added.

The group “was focused on exporting large amounts of marijuana and heroin from our country to Germany and other nations in Eastern Europe”, police said.

The arrested suspects also included nationals from Argentina, Austria, Germany, Montenegro, Romania, Spain, Syria, Ukraine and Venezuela.

European Union police force Europol, which coordinated the investigation, said over 400 officers from French, Spanish and Turkish law enforcement agencies took part in the operation.

Spain is one of the main entry points for drugs into Europe given its close ties with Latin America and its proximity to Morocco.

Latin America is the main source of cocaine and Morocco is a key source of hashish, a sticky brown substance made from the resin of the cannabis plant.

SHOW COMMENTS