The incident began on a late August day when an 82-year-old Portuguese businessman reached the property he had put up for sale in Almancil, Portugal, planning to show it to prospective buyers. What followed was a brutal assault, with men attacking him in his own car, binding him and threatening him with guns as they forced him into a dangerous ordeal.
They drove roughly 1,200 kilometers in the victim’s vehicle over about 20 hours, moving across Portugal to reach the Spanish border and then continue toward Collbató in Baix Llobregat. The victim was left tied to a tree in a forest near that town. A neighbor who happened to pass by alerted the local police in Collbató, and the emergency medical system was activated. The man, who sustained numerous injuries, was treated at a nearby outpatient clinic. During the detention, the assailants assaulted him further and tried to obtain his bank codes with the aim of transferring funds to accounts in France and Lithuania estimated at around 100,000 euros.
The perpetrators sought a larger payout but were thwarted in part by the victim’s resistance. They also stole his bank cards and passwords, withdrawing funds from ATMs and buying electronics in shops around central Barcelona. The businessman’s son reported him missing in Portugal, triggering cross-border cooperation among the National Police, Europol, the Mossos d’Esquadra, and authorities in other countries.
Another kidnapping attempt
In response to this report, a joint investigation began between the Mossos and the National Police, with involvement from the Portuguese Judicial Police. Authorized operations enabled identification and location of suspects residing in Spain. In December, just before arrests, the suspects unexpectedly left for Portugal, with investigators tracing their movements.
With help from the Portuguese police, investigators learned that the gang aimed to abduct a businesswoman in Setúbal. On December 11, the victim faced a staged car encounter in broad daylight outside her home. A second vehicle carried three people, and two of them threatened her with a firearm while attempting to force her into the backseat. Her partner heard the alarm and rushed to intervene, distracting the attackers long enough for the victim’s partner to fend them off, and the businesswoman’s car was subsequently stolen.
to Torremolinos
The criminals’ geographic clue led authorities to Torremolinos, where five people were arrested, including two linked to the earlier Almancil kidnapping. Interviews with victims indicated that the gang acted in a coordinated way. A core trio carried out the abductions, while others were assigned to launder the money and secure funds in a banking network.
In the investigations, Mossos investigators identified suspects across Alicante, Málaga, and Murcia, with additional leads pointing to France and Portugal. A joint research effort within CITCO was created to map group members and uncover their connections. Europol examined bank transfers to accounts in France and Lithuania, yielding evidence that led to multiple arrests.
9 people were arrested
Under the oversight of the Martorell Court of Inquiry and the First Instance 7 and the Sant Feliu Prosecutor’s Office, authorities arrested nine individuals. Four were taken into custody on December 13 in Alicante, Sucina (Murcia), and Málaga, while five others were already in Torremolinos. The charges cover kidnapping, violent robbery, and membership in a criminal organization. Searches at the suspects’ homes uncovered a real gun, two replicas, mobile devices, banking documents, wires, and clothing believed to have been worn during the abductions. An apparatus used to create forged banking documents emerged, along with a printer capable of producing fake bank cards and driver’s licenses. The Portuguese Judicial Police also identified other suspects tied to the network.
The investigation also revealed that a payment network and a banking trail were used to move funds, highlighting the sophistication of the operation.
for a safe
Inspector Rafael Montes, head of the Mossos’ Southern Metropolitan Region Criminal Investigation Division, noted that the businessman managed to free himself from the tree and staggered through the woods until a neighbor found him. Investigators recovered the bracelet tied to the tree and located the victim’s car at Barcelona airport via fingerprints and other analyses. Surveillance footage helped confirm the identity of one suspect, corroborated by fingerprint and money-trail evidence. Cooperation with Europol and French authorities proved crucial.
The gang used credit cards and purchased electronics in central Barcelona on the same day of the abduction, with store surveillance cameras playing a key role in showing who was involved. The perpetrators were described as Brazilian nationals, aged 24 to 25, perceived as highly violent. They reportedly received support from another group tasked with moving the illicit gains through various bank accounts to avoid traceability. Early transfers from the businessman’s account were redirected to avoid detection, suggesting premeditation.
National Police and Alicante Provincial Judicial Police Brigade UDYCO announced that one suspect’s phone activity helped identify him in Alicante, where three suspects in the original kidnapping were located. After two arrests, a third suspect was detained in temporary custody. He allegedly sought to rob workers and clients at a brothel in Alicante at gunpoint.
Batista Correia, a principal investigator with the Policia Judicial da Diretoria do Sul, explained that the suspects tracked high-net-worth targets and meticulously planned the kidnappings. Inspector Juan Castillo stated that the main suspects held prior minor offenses in France, suggesting they could have continued their criminal activity if not stopped. While the primary perpetrators remain in temporary detention, remaining suspects were released under court orders pending trial.