Criminal Network Targeted Elderly Victims Across Spain, Arrests Made
Three thousand euros were stolen from an elderly neighbor in Calatayud after the victim had just withdrawn funds from a bank. Police in Zaragoza and the National Police Union coordinated a decisive operation to dismantle a criminal organization accused of robbing more than a hundred seniors across Spain. Despite the vulnerability of the victims and the large number of affected individuals, more than sixty suspects, all Colombian nationals, were detained and the seized assets surpassed sixty thousand euros. A Barcelona court ordered temporary evacuation for the operation details to be presented in Calatayud.
Initial investigations revealed a traveling crime group operating in multiple regions of Spain. The challenge lay in their mobility, as the group moved constantly to carry out offenses. In September, they resurfaced in Calatayud, selecting a foreign man as their target and stealing two bankbooks and three reimbursements totaling more than seven hundred euros. A separate incident in Bilbao matched the same criminal pattern, occurring near banks or ATMs.
Investigators, led by Chief Inspector Marco Antonio Navarro, head of the Calatayud station, and Officer José García Robles, concluded that the perpetrators specialized in a method that required precise teamwork among at least three members, each performing a distinct role to execute the crime.
The suspects commonly worked near financial institutions to identify vulnerable individuals, particularly those withdrawing large sums. The team would observe then use a distraction tactic, often one member pretending to lose consciousness in front of the victim, while a second colludes with a third to seize cash or valuables. Funds were typically withdrawn in a single day, with the group exhausting the daily limit and returning once the clock struck midnight to repeat the scheme, sometimes leaving small residual amounts to delay detection.
After gaining access to a victim’s residence, the criminals would pose as relatives to enter, enabling theft of jewelry and the bank card itself in many cases.
The criminal activity is typically carried out by highly mobile groups, capable of moving across the country to sustain their illegal operations. They often use vehicles registered under third party names, sometimes using identities that are stolen to transport the entire team. The gang consists of five members aged between 22 and 55, and their activity has been documented in Aragon, Catalonia, the Community of Valencia, and Murcia. They tend to spend only short periods in any single location, swiftly extracting loot and disappearing, making investigations difficult as they operate in both urban and rural settings. During arrests, investigators recovered disguises and accessories such as hats, scarves, and sunglasses, along with phones they used for coordination during crimes.
Victim Selection
The group tends to target those who are especially vulnerable, either due to age or physical or mental decline. The plan is designed for speed, leaving little opportunity for escape or resistance. The members of the cell operate independently, reducing the chance of a single point of failure. After a lengthy inquiry, authorities identified several members and the location where the group stayed. On March 9, police executed an arrest operation in Barcelona near Ricart Street, with officers from the Organized Crime Group XXI collaborating to detain five individuals aged 22 to 55.
During the arrest, investigators seized disguises and accessories including various hoods, scarves, and sunglasses, along with mobile devices that had been used to coordinate crimes. Investigations confirmed that the detainees had traveled to Tarragona to conduct additional thefts targeting the elderly.