National Police officers arrested four people suspected of orchestrating a scam at the Alicante-Elche Airport parking facilities. The scheme aimed to dodge parking fees by exploiting a tactic known in police slang as a “little train.” After activating the barrier once, several cars slipped through in sequence without paying for their stay, causing an estimated loss of around 6,000 euros.
The investigation began months earlier when agents from a United States investigative unit noted irregular activity in the daily flow of vehicles at the airport. The Alicante–Elche Airport Border Post launched a focused operation, prioritizing footage from cameras positioned at the entry and exit points of the affected parking area to identify suspicious patterns.
Months of work uncovered a scam described in police slang as the “little train,” in which multiple vehicles travel together in a line, entering and exiting without paying the required parking fee.
Analysis of the footage showed numerous instances of cars leaving the airport parking without settling the stated amount due for their stay.
shuttle
The method used to dodge the known fees, termed the “little train,” involved vehicles approaching with shuttle passes that typically allowed a free 15 minute window in the parking lot. By exploiting that narrow opening, several vehicles were able to pass the barrier in quick succession without paying for their stay.
Experts confirmed that the fraudulent scheme unfolded over a brief period and involved more than 100 different vehicles. After careful police work, officers established that the shuttles and the shadow vehicles—those that crossed the barrier illegally—belonged to people who had just left their homes to conduct the activity, often from the same car parking company, while they were abroad.
Employees of a company
During the inquiry, authorities identified three drivers who carried out the fraud and who were employees of the same car parking company. They were arrested as suspects in the fraudulent crime.
All indications suggest those arrested could have been orchestrating these illegal vehicle movements for several months. As a result, police estimates place the total defrauded amount at over 6,000 euros. Trials are ongoing, and further arrests in the coming days remain a possibility.
Night Court
Three Spaniards and one Romanian, aged between 30 and 50, were brought before the Investigation Court of Elche after the preliminary actions by the Guardia Civil and police investigators.