National Police agents arrested a suspect caught red-handed as part of a criminal organization that specialized in stealing trucks, tractor heads, and trailers to seize the goods they were transporting. The group operated primarily in the communities of Madrid and Castilla-La Mancha, according to a police press release issued on Monday.
The officers surprised the suspects while they attempted to break into a warehouse in Ciempozuelos where they were hiding a vehicle loaded with stolen merchandise scheduled for sale. Eighteen crimes were clarified, and products valued at 800,000 euros, five vehicles, and 16,400 euros in cash were seized during the operation.
The investigation began in late September, linking the four truck thefts that occurred at different locations within the Community of Madrid over a span of just three weeks.
Despite the stolen vehicles differing in make and model, the actions shared the same modus operandi and were carried out with a high level of professionalism. Investigators noted that the robbers did not focus on the contents inside the trucks, as they collected a wide variety of products and cared only about the value they could convert into cash for their safes or distribution network.
Police inquiries connected several people to the events and demonstrated that they acted as a group. They had hidden one of the stolen trucks loaded with goods in the town of Ciempozuelos.
Following this lead, an operation was organized that caught the suspects as they attempted to access the warehouse where the vehicle was stored. The raid resulted in the arrest of three individuals who were members of the aforementioned criminal organization and a fourth person suspected of attempting to seize stolen goods.
three officers were injured
The situation escalated when the organization members tried to escape by mounting a vehicle, which collided with a police car and left three officers injured. Nevertheless, the agents managed to intervene and arrest the four individuals involved, while recovering the stolen truck containing goods worth 200,000 euros.
Subsequent investigations also led to the seizure of textiles and hygiene products valued at 600,000 euros, along with four additional vehicles and 16,400 euros in cash.
Three members of the criminal organization faced court on charges alleging involvement in multiple offenses, including vehicle theft, theft of license plates, and belonging to a criminal group. The case also encompassed property invasion and document falsification.
The fourth man underwent the judicial review process as a suspect in an admissions offense. The investigation remains open, and further arrests are anticipated as the case develops. These developments underscore the police force’s ongoing commitment to dismantling organized vehicle theft networks and the broader trafficking of stolen goods across the region.