Five suspected members of a gang that specialises in stealing tobacco and fragrances from duty-free stores at the airports of Tenerife, Alicante-Elche, and Palma de Mallorca—with a combined estimated value of 7,686.50 euros—have been taken into custody by the Civil Guard.
Just before they left the Alicante-Elche airport, three of them were stopped and taken into custody for allegedly stealing 1,125 euros worth of tobacco. The other two were apprehended by the agents in Palma de Mallorca on suspicion of stealing goods valued at 1,207.95 euros.
The five people detained—two women and three men, ages 18 to 38—were also operating in airports in Tenerife. They are charged with being members of a criminal organisation and stealing. Each of them received a 12-month prison sentence and a 40-month ban from coming within 500 meters of Alicante-Elche airport.
“Operation Frog”
Operation Rana, which was started by the Civil Guard after they saw a rise in tobacco and perfume thefts from stores in the restricted security area of the Alicante airport, led to the dissolution of this gang.
In small groups, the gang members bought aircraft tickets to nearby locations. They would enter the aforementioned businesses in the restricted area of the airport when they were there prior to their trip, where they would take goods. If they were successful, they would get on the aircraft and attempt to do it again at the airport where they were going.
These manoeuvres made identification challenging because they would attempt again before departing the terminal if they were unsuccessful.
Author: Derek Appleton
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