National Police officers in Spain arrested five suspects linked to a criminal organization that specialized in stealing luxury cars and dismantling or reselling parts. The group was active since 2018, with alleged activity reaching across Alicante and even into Germany.
The investigation, code named Operation Vehicle Illegal Traffic Group, began after the Alicante National Police received information about two luxury vehicles found abandoned in a rural area near Aspe. One car had been partially dismantled, and the other lacked license plates.
In a warehouse located in Petrer, officers found related parts. The discovery prompted authorities to deepen the inquiry and pursue further leads. The case quickly expanded from a local theft network to a broader operation involving staging sites and a hidden inventory of vehicle components.
Agents specializing in illicit vehicular trafficking confirmed that one of the cars was partially scrapped and still bore a single rear plate. A subsequent check revealed that the license plate numbers matched a vehicle owned by a person in Malaga, whose vehicle had been tampered with and was not in the rightful possession of the registered owner.
police record
Fearing the ranch might be used to conceal, modify, or assemble stolen vehicles, police requested entry and search warrants from the court. After obtaining judicial authorization, investigators searched the property and recovered two high end vehicles.
During the checks of chassis numbers, authorities found that these cars had been reported stolen in 2019 in Alicante and on a public road in the central area of the city. Both vehicles were found partly dismantled and were seized by the police.
The Petrer warehouse underwent a thorough inspection by the officers, who noted that a third luxury vehicle had been parked at the farm gate. It bore forged plates and had been commandeered from another location, having been stolen in Santa Pola in 2020.
Five suspects were arrested in Aspe, including four men and one woman among them Moroccans and Spanish nationals, aged between 20 and 41. All were released after providing statements to the authorities and filing a criminal complaint.
getting more involved in the plot
Investigators later learned that following Aspe’s arrest, one suspect may have played a more extensive role in the conspiracy. They suspected additional hiding places for stolen vehicles and proceeded to inspect two more warehouse facilities in an industrial zone of Petrer. After obtaining court authorization, a search of these sites uncovered a range of tools and parts linked to the theft network.
At a Petrer garage they exposed sixth member of the organization, a 48 year old Spaniard who oversaw the operations and managed the assets under scrutiny. Police recovered a substantial stock of vehicle parts, primarily sourced from luxury models.
Examinations of the recovered parts revealed that several items originated from at least five high end vehicles stolen between 2018 and 2019. Among the stolen pieces were components from two vehicles taken in Alicante, another two from the towns of La Vila Joiosa and El Campello, and a fifth piece from a vehicle stolen in Germany in 2018.
The coordinated effort by the National Police demonstrates their commitment to dismantling networks that traffic in premium automobiles and their components, and to safeguarding the transport system as well as the wider community in Spain and beyond.