Backed against a wall of gunfire, a Portuguese businessperson was seized and driven across borders into Spain, ending up in Barcelona. The abduction stretched over more than 1,200 kilometers, with the victim subjected to threats and beatings while the assailants drained his cards and siphoned off money. In Barcelona’s Collbató area, the victim was left bound to a tree as the gang fled with the loot. Three major transfers were executed by the group and then spread across 52 accounts opened with counterfeit documents, a clear attempt to frustrate law enforcement. The thugs also racked up purchases using the victim’s cards, including a mobile device and a shell that would serve as a traceable clue for investigators. A 10 euro purchase reportedly guided detectives to the home of a suspect connected to the Alicante kidnapping. Everything pointed to that individual as central to the crime. The same person was later found imprisoned for an involvement in a protest. An attack on a brothel in Benidorm with baseball bats, injuring workers and patrons, was linked in the broader investigation.
This Alicante clue exposed a dangerous group of Brazilian origin, composed of young men aged 24 to 25, highly violent and markedly unskilled in their method. The Portuguese businessman’s kidnapping was planned at least a month in advance. The gang implemented multiple security measures to avoid capture by security forces. A joint operation involving Mossos d’Esquadra, the National Police, and the Portuguese Judicial Police, coordinated by Europol, led to arrests across Malaga, Murcia, and Alicante. A separate failed kidnapping attempt targeting another woman in Portugal underscores the scale. Of the nine people detained, five were arrested in Torremolinos (Malaga), the other four in Alicante, Sucina (Murcia), and Malaga, facing charges of kidnapping, robbery with violence, and membership in a criminal group.
Investigations into Operation Luso, which began on 25 August in collaboration with Europol, revealed the timeline of the first 82-year-old victim’s abduction in Almancil (Portugal) and the roughly 100,000 euro theft that followed. A press conference led by Mossos d’Esquadra investigator Rafael Montes revealed the victim’s account of being assaulted and forced to move into the back of his car, allowing the attackers to drive away. The journey to Collbató took nearly 20 hours, during which the kidnappers imposed physical violence and threats tied to the money. Bank cards were seized and substantial money movements were initiated.
vehicle location
Authorities found the victim disoriented, with bruises, superficial injuries, and hematomas on a secondary road near a Collbató residence. He explained, through overcoming a language barrier, that his abductors left him tied to a tree after bringing him from Portugal. Days later, investigators located the suspect vehicle parked in a Barcelona airport parking area, allowing security forces to retrieve images of the perpetrators and access the car for fingerprint analysis by the scientific police.
Footage from a joint press conference held to review the case highlighted the role of ongoing financial tracing. The investigators stressed that the money moved through many accounts to complicate tracing. The detainees, Brazilian nationals aged 24 to 25, used the victim’s cards to purchase items at restaurants and electronics stores, with the total stolen money estimated around 100,000 euros. Legal proceedings aim to recover those funds, with some transfers traced to entities in France and Lithuania.
Over the course of the hijacking, the gang executed up to 52 bank transfers and paused at various ATMs and shops to use the victim’s cards. Portuguese Judicial Police inspector Batista Correia noted the gang targeted high-net-worth victims whose accounts showed activity and assets. They shadowed potential targets for extended periods, gathering information before striking—an approach that raised the level of sophistication in the operation.
failed kidnapping
The arrests followed a failed kidnapping on 11 December when a vehicle was observed in Setúbal, Portugal. Two suspects stepped out before reaching a woman’s home and brandished a gun, attempting to force her into the back of a car. An alert was raised after the woman’s screams and a partner intervened, causing the assailants to flee in the victim’s vehicle. The car was later located in Torremolinos thanks to GPS, and authorities recovered the suspects alongside several items used in the attempt, including a firearm, forged documents, and a portable printer for creating fake papers.
Inspections led by Alicante inspector Juan Castillo of UDYCO National Police described the challenge of locating suspects who were rarely at home and often away across borders in France and Portugal. Among the nine detained, two were among the principal organizers who orchestrated the initial kidnapping, while a third was imprisoned for a separate violent robbery at an Alicante brothel. Other members, seen as support, faced charges related to fraudulent banking transactions and related activities. The investigation continues as authorities pursue a full accounting of the group’s network and assets.