A Civil Guard operation led to the arrest of four individuals linked to a criminal network, with one person having strong ties to groups connected to terrorism. The case centers on a kidnapping in Callosa de Segura involving a Moroccan victim named Segura who was targeted in a dispute over drug-related money matters. The abduction lasted four days, and the victim later escaped after being moved to a residence in Callosa de Segura and another in El Campello. He managed to leave the second location by asking his captors for a cigarette and stepping onto a terrace to flee.
The kidnapped man endured minor stab wounds and burns and was deprived of basic sustenance during his illegal detention. The four arrests occurred over several months in El Campello, Valencia, Marbella, and Mijas. According to the victim, the group used short and long firearms in addition to bladed weapons.
The purpose behind the kidnapping is outlined in the investigation file. Orihuela Investigation Court No. 3 ordered jail for three of those arrested on charges of kidnapping, wounding, and belonging to a criminal organization.
The investigation began on 20 April last year when a Moroccan man reported to the Civil Guard barracks in Sant Joan d’Alacant that he had been abducted. He recounts that four armed men accosted him on his way home to Callosa de Segura and kept him captive for four days at a residence in that municipality.
He was then transported to an address in El Campello, from which he eventually escaped and went to the police barracks to report the detention.
This regional task force of the Sant Joan Judicial Police directed the probe to clarify the kidnapping, and although the victim initially did not reveal the motive, law enforcement learned it stemmed from a debt dispute centered on a drug-related rollover theft.
The Civil Guard also deployed officers to execute arrests in Callosa de Segura. Information released by the force shows the operation targeted those involved in the kidnapping and the surrounding criminal activity.
On April 22, the Civil Guard located two houses in Callosa de Segura and El Campello where the abductee was held. In El Campello, a 55-year-old Italian woman was arrested at her home, and a 54-year-old Italian woman with ties to the Neapolitan Camorra-linked crime groups identified as the gang’s ringleader was later apprehended.
The ringleader’s identity emerged after the Italian woman’s arrest, with cooperation between the Civil Guard and the Italian Carabinieri through the Secure Information Exchange Network SIENA managed by Europol.
The Civil Guard released details about this suspect, and on 1 August another arrest was effected in Valencia, followed by a court appearance and remand in custody.
Investigations then led to the identification of remaining members of the network, including two Spanish men aged 31 and 34 who were arrested on 12 and 20 December in Mijas and Marbella, Málaga. Both were ordered to remain in custody by the court.
Forensic and investigative work involved reviewing various forms of biological evidence, documents, and mobile devices collected by the researchers.
The Sant Joan Civil Guard received support from multiple units, including the Contacts Group of the Organic Unit of the Alicante Command Judicial Police, the Homicide Squad Team, the Rapid Action Group GAR, and patrols from the Estepona Company of the Málaga Command. Staff from the Marbella National Police Station and the Local Police of Marbella participated as well to secure the operation.
The case highlights the collaboration among regional and national law enforcement to dismantle organized crime networks and to pursue individuals responsible for violent crimes tied to illegal drug activities. The investigation continues to confirm the full scope of the network and to pursue additional suspects as needed.