Thirteen individuals were detained in a coordinated operation led by the Police and the General Directorate of Security, named Operation Constanza-Mestalla. The arrests target alleged membership in a highly organized crime group involved in robberies of ships and business facilities.
The suspects are accused of entering facilities using keypad access and employing technical methods to breach safes, according to a statement released by the Civil Guard today.
Authorities began investigations after a weekend surge of two forced robberies at industrial sites in Valencia province, which prompted the review that linked the incidents to a single criminal network.
Analysis indicated that the same crew carried out the offenses. The group is described as Madrid-based and reputed to have extensive police records for similar crimes.
Evidence also linked the group to robberies at companies located in Cuenca, Guadalajara, Cantabria, Teruel, Granada, Burgos, Madrid, Seville, and Toledo.
Nighttime operations were carried out with a clear division of tasks, including logistics, forging identity documents, car rental, surveillance, planning, driving, and what investigators termed as expert technical work such as roof access using rope systems and climbing techniques.
The organization was highly structured and showed sign of using front men to lease vehicles used in the robberies and to obtain fake documents that frustrated investigative efforts.
Investigators also established that the group possessed specialized skills to disable geolocation devices on pickup trucks and company vehicles, and maintained a broad network of buyers to dispose of stolen items.
Among the eight robberies attributed to the group, significant losses were reported at Valencian towns including Paterna and Xirivella, where stolen items such as electronic cigarettes and food products had a combined value approaching 700,000 euros.
Following the identification of the entire group and collection of evidence linking members to the crimes, authorities carried out a two-phase arrest process. The first phase occurred in mid-May with seven arrests, while the second phase in early June resulted in six additional detainees and the seizure of large sums of cash and vehicles from a secured location.
According to the authorities, the detainees face trial for 28 criminal acts involving forced entry or burglary, falsification of official documents, and membership in a criminal organization.
These developments underscore the ongoing efforts by law enforcement to dismantle organized crime networks that rely on complex logistical coordination and the exploitation of legitimate business channels to expand their theft operations, a pattern that has drawn heightened attention from security agencies across multiple regions.
In closing, investigators emphasize the importance of intelligence sharing and cross-regional cooperation to prevent similar incidents, and they urge companies to review security protocols, monitor access points, and verify employee credentials to help deter future intrusions.