Ten Gangs Target Tourists at Rest Areas on the A-7 and AP-7

Thefts and violent robberies have increased this summer at rest areas along the A-7 and AP-7 highways in the provinces of Alicante, Valencia, Castellón, and Murcia. According to a criminal intelligence report by the Civil Guard, ten organized gangs are committing these crimes daily, primarily targeting foreign tourists.

The largest criminal group consists of several related clans from Chitila, a town in Romania with about 15,000 inhabitants. Members of this criminal organization are based in Málaga and other cities in the Valencian Community. They operate like Italian mafias, with cells formed by several members from the same region, even sharing similar tattoo symbols. This gang specializes in thefts at service areas and shopping center parking lots, almost always at night.

In the past three years, the Civil Guard has arrested 43 alleged members of the Chitila brigades, as investigators refer to these cells of this criminal organization. Three other gangs operating on the Mediterranean highway (Algeciras-Barcelona) consist of Romanians with prior police records in our country.