Costa Blanca
In Alicante, a criminal group that specialised in robberies at pharmacies and banks has been dismantled

In the provinces of Alicante, Valencia, and Murcia, the Guardia Civil and the National Police have dismantled a criminal organisation that specialised in the burglary of pharmacies, banks, and businesses as part of Operation Farmacash-Botica. The operation led to the apprehension of six individuals and the confiscation of specialised tools, cash, and vehicles that were used in the robberies.
A criminal organisation that is structured and professional in nature
The Guardia Civil and the National Police initiated a joint investigation in August 2024 in response to an increase in robberies at pharmacies, particularly in El Campello, Playa de San Juan, and Marina Alta. The burglaries were executed with remarkable speed and precision: the perpetrators forced open doors, tore open cash registers or safes, and fled in high-end vehicles with modified license plates.
The criminal network, which was composed of individuals with a variety of criminal histories, maintained a rigid division of labour. Some members were responsible for the robbery itself, while others served as security personnel, employing shuttle vehicles. Others provided escape vehicles, which were previously stolen automobiles.
Concurrent arrests and confiscation of property
A total of seven residence searches were conducted in Orihuela, Torrevieja, Benidorm, Villajoyosa, and Dénia after months of investigation, resulting in the arrest of six members of the organisation. In the course of the searches, €7,000 in cash, a blank-firing pistol, clothing utilised in the burglaries, bolt cutters and other lock-picking tools, GPS tracking beacons, walkie-talkies, an OBD key-cloning machine, an Italian Police tactical vest, and five vehicles utilised in the crimes were seized.
The investigation was conducted by the Assets Team of the Patrimonio de la Unidad Orgánica de PolicÃa Judicial (UOPJ) of Alicante, the Equipo Contra el Crimen Organizado based in Alicante (ECO Levante) la Unidad Central Operativa (UCO) and the Unidad de Delincuencia Especializada y Violenta (UDEV) of the National Police of Alicante. The Judicial Police Team of the Guardia Civil of San Juan and the Guardia Civil and Local Police of El Campello also collaborated.
Albanian, Kosovar, Bulgarian, and Yugoslav nationalities are represented among the detainees, who possess extensive criminal histories in Spain. One of them is prohibited from entering the country, while the other has a history of homicide in Ukraine. They have been charged with 42 counts of burglary, larceny with violence, organised crime, and document falsification. They have been hauled before Investigating Court No. 3 of Elche, which has ordered their imprisonment.
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Costa Blanca
Elche mother sentenced to 19 years for the murder of her son and the abuse of her twins

A woman has been sentenced to a total of 19 years and seven and a half months in prison by the Jury Court of the Seventh Section of the Alicante Court, which is located in Elche. She was convicted of murdering her two-year-old son in Bigastro by suffocation after having routinely abused him, as she had done with her other sons.
The Court, which upheld the jury’s verdict, convicted her of one count of murder, another count of habitual abuse, and six counts of bodily harm. The Court considered the aggravating circumstance of kinship and the mitigating circumstances of confession, undue delay, and acting under the influence of drugs.
The convicted woman is required to pay €100,000 in compensation to each of the deceased’s two brothers, as well as an additional €10,000 to the deceased’s twin, for the injuries and after-effects he experienced as a result of the incident.
A house in the town of Bigastro was the residence of the mother and her children, who were two-year-old twins and a nine-year-old girl at the time, as indicated by the statement of proven facts in the sentence. The convicted woman struck the twins with a variety of objects on the head, torso, or extremities and shook them on at least six occasions, resulting in multiple fractures.
On June 11th, 2022, the woman returned from the park with the two children and, after putting one of them to bed, grabbed the other by the neck and squeezed him until he perished by strangulation, the attacks continued repeatedly, establishing a climate of peaceful disruption.
The jury determined that the defendant’s psychological state was exacerbated by her drug use since the age of 20, which had a detrimental impact on her willpower at the time of the homicide. The prosecution and defence concurred with the Prosecutor’s Office during the oral hearing, while the defendant acknowledged the facts. The Alicante Court’s sentence is not definitive and may be appealed to the Civil and Criminal Division of the TSJCV.
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A second runway at Alicante-Elche Airport has been rejected by the government

As per a parliamentary response to PP senator AgustÃn Almodóbar, the Government has disregarded the long-awaited second runway for the Miguel Hernández airport in Alicante-Elche, at least for the next few years. Almodóbar emphasised that the airport has experienced a surge in traffic of over two million travellers in a single year.
“Do you not believe that it would be necessary, given the increasing demand, and that the investment would be more than justified, as has been long demanded by Alicante institutions and society?” The Popular Party leader enquired, characterising the work that Pedro Sánchez’s administration had planned as “insufficient”.
Nevertheless, the Upper House’s response is unequivocal: “Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport currently possesses modern, secure facilities, as well as competitive pricing and an adequate capacity to satisfy air traffic demand and ensure the mobility of its residents.”
The government contends that the “airport manager” already conducts “planning” in accordance with “operational needs and expected traffic demand”, and AENA predicts “future behaviour” in the “sizing” of these infrastructures.
At present, the project is anticipated to encompass “adaptation of the terminal and traffic areas”, as stated in the technical description of the works that were tendered in January of last year. This is part of the first segment of Asistencia Técnica de Redacción de Proyecto (Technical Assistance for Project Draughting,) which is valued at €19.8 million.
In contrast, the second runway is “envisioned as the airport’s ultimate expansion in the current Master Plan and will be constructed only when it is deemed necessary to satisfy the anticipated demand, as determined by technical criteria.”
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Police prevent three squatters from taking over an Alicante home

According to sources from the City Council, three squatters were apprehended after the intervention of officers from the Sant Vicent del Raspeig (Alicante) Local Police and the Guardia Civil prevented them from invading a residence.
On Saturday March 15th, the Benemérita requested the municipal security force’s intervention in response to an alleged attempt by multiple suspects to occupy the property.
The main post had been previously contacted to report an additional purported illegal entry on Velázquez Street.
The Guardia Civil assisted the local police officers in the arrest after they made several arrangements with the householder. The police arrived immediately. The suspects were transported to the headquarters of the State Security Forces.
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