Criminal Organisation Dismantled in Alicante Responsible for Over a Hundred Home Burglaries

La Guardia Civil ha logrado desarticular una activa organización criminal asentada en Alicante y dedicada al robo en viviendas mediante la técnica del 'bumping' en cerraduras. En total los Efectivos del Equipo Territorial de Policía Judicial de la Guardia Civil de Almansa y del Área de Investigación de la misma localidad han detenido a seis personas como presuntas autoras de 110 robos con fuerza en el interior de domicilios.

The criminal gang was well-organised, with several members having prior records for similar offences. The leader, an expert locksmith, chose the days for the burglaries, distributed the loot, and, along with the 'sub-leader', marked the apartments to be targeted, known as 'signal flats'. The rest of the gang were assigned tasks such as surveillance, transportation, and selling the stolen goods.

Two members were responsible for surveillance outside the properties, hiding in stairwells to monitor residents' movements. The detainees had a clear modus operandi, accessing apartment buildings by slipping the lock or posing as delivery or telephone company workers. Female members sometimes knocked on doors pretending to be conducting surveys or distributing advertisements to ensure no one was home.

Once they confirmed the properties were empty, they would pick the locks within minutes, leaving no visible signs of tampering. If the doors had anti-bumping locks, they would break the shield and cylinder to gain entry using special tools.

After stealing the items, they were sold in Alicante, both in jewellery shops and second-hand gold and goods stores, sometimes even to individuals who had pre-ordered them. In one such establishment, the Civil Guard recovered four lots of jewellery comprising eleven gold pieces and a watch sold by one of the detainees. During the same inspection, it was discovered that this individual had sold three other lots of jewellery days earlier, which could not be recovered as they had been melted down.

The investigation began in July of the previous year after several burglaries were detected in inhabited homes in the towns of Almansa and Caudete, Albacete. According to the Civil Guard, the gang always operated within the same time frames, with most locks being forced using commercially available kits easily purchased online.

In Almansa, the criminal organisation committed up to 24 burglaries with force and four more in Caudete, the majority in homes of elderly residents. The gang was so active that they burgled the same Almansa home twice and committed three burglaries in one day, travelling from Alicante.

After a complex investigation, the Civil Guard identified the gang members, confirming their activities in Alicante, Valencia, and Murcia. The Civil Guard linked the group to 110 burglaries with force in homes in Almansa and Caudete, Albacete; San Vicente de Raspeig, Gata de Gorgos, Villena, Elda, Novelda, Guardamar del Segura, Teulada, and Alicante in the province of Alicante; Gandía in Valencia; and Cieza, Alcantarilla, and Murcia in the Murcia region.

Upon learning all the details, the Civil Guard conducted four house searches in Alicante, seizing 1,100 euros in cash, 33 watches, 29 pieces of jewellery, 15 high-end mobile phones, five tablets, four video game consoles, and five handbags from well-known brands. All recovered items were valued at 93,000 euros. The Civil Guard has set up a website for victims to reclaim unidentified items.

The proceedings initiated by the Civil Guard, along with the detainees, have been submitted to the Second Court of Instruction in Almansa, with direct involvement from various courts in the provinces of Alicante, Murcia, and Valencia. Currently, all individuals arrested in Operation "HUMBERT" are in custody.

In the police operation, led by the Territorial Judicial Police Team of the Almansa Civil Guard and the Investigation Area of the same residence, officers from the ROCA Team of the Casas Ibáñez Civil Guard, the Organic Unit of Judicial Police, and the Citizen Security Unit (USECIC) of the Albacete and Alicante Commands, as well as the Specialised Crime Group of the Alicante National Police and Local Police, also from Alicante and its GOIR Group, participated.