In the middle of last February, a powerful explosion woke the residents of Pinto (Madrid). they were Tried to break the ATM to get the money. They failed, they failed to take it out, but the damage was considerable. The same thing happened in Malaga months ago. Two robberies by force using explosives in bank establishments. They stole more than 82.000 Euros. A similar robbery took place in Valencia shortly after Málaga. The thieves stole 40,000 Euros. National Police agents, in a joint operation with the Civil Guard and Mossos d’Esquadra, dispersed the two criminal groups with the arrest of 14 people in Madrid and Malaga, despite operating all over the map.
In addition to the use of explosives, those arrested They also carried out violent robberies by pretending to be members of the security forces. and not shy away from illegally detaining their victims and using special media techniques and equipment; and using excessive violence. Explosives, called “bottles” by members of the group, were produced by themselves from the gunpowder of fireworks and other pyrotechnic devices.
Police and civilian security attire
They articulated the two criminal groups and acted on national territory. 14 detainees He had a long criminal record. and 15 criminal acts in which they stole more than 600,000 euros.
Within the framework of the police operation after his detention, 23 simultaneous recordings Lots of guns and cartridges, GPS beacons, locksmith’s gear to open doors, alarm blockers, lots of supplies and National Police and Civil Guard attire, cash and counterfeit plates, among other effects. Likewise, a cannabis field was uprooted and 112 plants were seized.
homemade explosives
The investigation began in August 2022 after the coup in Malaga. The agents were able to prove that this was a framework to repeat a coup d’etat in Valencia. After initial investigations, the agents discovered that another criminal organization, whose members were based in Madrid, had also robbed ATMs using explosives. The “bottles” were the same.
According to police sources, those involved in the investigation said, “A modus operandi Having a similar and identical supplier of homemade explosives, they were responsible for seven attacks on ATMs in Barcelona, Madrid, Alcalá de Henares and Alcobendas in 2022, where they managed to loot around 550,000 euros.
Investigations led to information that they were located in the cities of Madrid and Malaga. and among them, person responsible for the manufacture of explosive devicesIt was made by pressing black powder from fireworks and other pyrotechnic devices into a metal capsule they called a “bottle”.
stolen cars
The thieves, whose loot exceeded 600,000 euros, used advanced techniques and took high-level security measures before, during and after the robberies while robbing ATMs using special tools and equipment.
They also found that they were using intermediaries. high powered stolen vehicles after the robbery is complete and to those who are far from the same place, They set the other stolen cars on fire again to move them. that they keep but do not use. They turned off their cell phones and took off their clothes.
The investigation also revealed that they had participated in two violent criminal acts that took place in Malaga, posing as police officers.
Police investigations show that detainees’ criminal activities are not just about robbing banks using explosives, some He participated in two violent criminal acts that took place in Malaga..
The first of these took place at the door of the victim’s home in the municipality of Málaga, in Vélez-Málaga, at the beginning of March.. researched disguised as police using vehicles they previously stole – armed with pistols and displaying police vests and badges – to force him into one of these, handcuffing him with reins and taking him to an open field. There they beat him, asked where he had kept the money in his house, and took his papers, 1,270 euros, the keys to his house, office and car, and then released him. On the other hand, two stolen vehicles used to carry out the actions were also burned on the same day.
The second victim was blocked from the front and back by two vehicles, her car windows were smashed
Those arrested in mid-April were attacked Another victim in a polygon in Malaga. As in the previous case, they had privileged information and drove two stolen vehicles with bent license plates. After watching the victim, they decided to attack him while he was driving while he was carrying 30,000 euros in cash and 3,430 euros in promissory notes. On this occasion, they blocked the road with two vehicles from the front and the back, broke the windows of his car and forcibly pulled the car from him and left with him and his money.
Also researched experts in car theft and subsequent “folding” of license plates. In this way, they facilitated both the commission of the crime and the subsequent escape, and made it more difficult for the police to investigate by completely burning vehicles or spraying them with fire extinguisher to remove any evidence that could incriminate them.
three stage robbery
As the agents explain, modus operandi divided into three stages. The first consisted of selecting targets or victims; for him had privileged knowledge or “saints” about economic capacity potential victims or their involvement in illegal business, such as drug trafficking or the possession of large amounts of hard-to-justify money.
The second phase was based on monitoring the victims, controlling their routines and movements. Use of special techniques and tools such as security cameras or GPS beacons.
The third stage was the execution of the robbery. Depending on the target, would be a robbery of force or violence; in the second case, pretending to be a member of the security forces and using police techniques, tools and equipment, not afraid to detain their victims illegally and using excessive violence.
a fugitive
The police operation ended at the end of last April, with the arrests of all investigated—a total of 14—except for one who detected the police device and escaped.
The detainees are charged with allegedly committing crimes such as membership of a criminal group, forced extortion, robbery using violence, vehicle theft, illegal detention, injury, usurpation of public office, possession of illegal weapons and falsification of documents.
All with extensive criminal records (nearly all police records are about crimes against property) had knowledge of police techniques and They committed robberies across national territory – moving from one autonomous community to another – and was an expert in the use of police vehicles, equipment and techniques.
More than 600.000 Euros
The agents clarified 15 criminal acts committed between June 2022 and April 2023, along with the arrest. June last year they committed two robberies by force using explosives Two banks in Barcelona’s municipalities of Santa Coloma de Gramanet and Montcadathat they stole 67,450 euros and 127,210 euros respectively. A month later they made another forced robbery using an explosive device in the bank MadridCapturing a trophy of between 50,000 and 90,000 euros.
in August 2022 He committed two more robberies using force, using explosives inside. Two banks in Malaga down 43,970 and 38,180 euros on this occasion. The following month, two criminal acts of the same nature modus operandi in their banks Barcelona They resulted in theft of 47,380 and 92,860 euros. Produced in October in Valencia. Another criminal act of the same nature where they stole 40,000 euros. In December, two more robberies were committed at banks in Alcalá de Henares (Madrid) and Alcobendas (Madrid), costing 46,350 euros and 78,330 euros, respectively.
They committed in February of this year Three robberies by force in Madrid; one of them is at a high-end car dealership where a car was stolen; the other, at an optics facility in Majadahonda, where they buy eyeglasses, frames and alarms worth more than 10,000 Euros; and the third, temporarily, at a bank in Pinto. Most recently, two violent robberies took place in Málaga in March and April 2023.