National police agents in Alicante dismantled a traveling crime group that specialized in home burglaries, acting at a nationwide level. The operation was carried out after the group attempted five robberies in just fifteen days, as police sources reported on Sunday.
During a citywide effort to prevent forced robberies, units from the Provincial Citizens’ Security Brigade identified two individuals on public roads, one of whom wore a conspicuous assortment of wristwatches. Beyond this odd detail, what drew the agents’ attention was that one of the two had more than 50 prior records for robberies and other crimes, often linked to residential break-ins reported across various Spanish provinces.
That information was shared with the Alicante Provincial Police Judicial Police Specialization and Violent Crimes Unit, which opened a formal investigation into the presence of both suspects in the city and the items they carried. Soon the investigative work paid off, and the two individuals were located during several police interventions. The circumstances surrounding the suspects raised serious questions about the large amount of cash discovered on one of them, totaling 3,300 euros.
The trail led to a robbery attempt victim who reported an assault on their home, where two people had tried to force the door. In the end, it turned out to be the same two suspects under investigation. This evidentiary line, along with other key findings, connected the pair to four additional incidents in Alicante and one in Zaragoza on the same days, prompting cooperation with the Supreme Headquarters of the Aragon National Police to clarify the operations. A geolocation and search device was activated on both individuals, and they were finally arrested inside a vehicle linked to the crimes, the same vehicle later seen at the Zaragoza crime scene as the getaway car.
Upon their arrival in Alicante, officers found a large quantity of lock-picking tools in the vehicle. The vehicle, involved in events in Zaragoza as an escape route, prompted a detailed technical inspection, which revealed a black backpack equipped with professional locksmith tools attached to springs with magnets, designed to work on door locks, including unlock keys for master key systems.
In a subsequent search at a different location, investigators located the second suspect’s home and recovered additional tools similar to those found in the vehicle. Inside a professional locksmith bag, investigators found a complete set of keys created with the impression method, plastic entry cards for accessing doors with the slip method, and several luxury items suspected to be of illicit origin.
Along with the suspects, a woman was identified as part of the case. Her home had functioned as a safe house to hide the group and their locksmith tools, as well as stolen items in Alicante and another city. A man associated with the operation provided the vehicle used during the journey. The two main suspects were identified as a Colombian national, aged 34 and 43 years. One had more than 50 prior records, while the other had none. Both were handed over to the Alicante Education Courts. A Colombian woman, aged 31, and a Hispanic man, 47, were also detained but released pending summons after being transferred to the police with a criminal record.
Police sources noted that the operation achieved more than the recovery of stolen items and vehicles. It also disrupted a traveling crime group that had executed up to five residential burglaries within a span of two weeks in Alicante, reinforcing the region’s resolve to combat home invasions across borders and jurisdictions.