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Nineteen endangered turtles have been recovered in Alicante by police operations in 135 countries

As part of Operation Thunder, which has been conducted in 135 countries in cooperation with groups and entities like the World Customs Organisation, the Guardia Civil’s Nature Protection Service (Seprona) has detained 13 individuals on suspicion of being involved in the illegal trafficking of protected species in Spain.

According to Seprona, the programme is one of the biggest worldwide efforts to combat environmental crimes, having recovered over 20,000 wildlife species in recent years. nineteen endangered turtles have been saved in Alicante.

The cyber patrol was coordinated by Spanish agents with help from specialised NGOs and Europol, and included environmental crime experts from Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, the Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom.

In Spain

The Guardia Civil in Spain has conducted 438 inspections, found 193 administrative and 11 criminal infractions, arrested and investigated 13 individuals, and seized 50 inert pieces, including ivory, tusks, paws, and skins, as well as 192 live specimens.

In his presentation of the investigations’ primary findings, Commander Ramón González Gallego noted that “in recent years we have detected a certain interest in venomous animals such as snakes,” and that “the European Union is a transit point, but also a destination and origin point for species trafficking,” particularly with regard to birds and reptiles.

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Even if “some people are unaware that they are committing a crime,” the reality is that “we are increasingly seeing a more serious form of organised crime, which involves breeding and harvesting species for the purpose of generating profit.”

González claims that the financial gains from this kind of illicit commerce “vary depending on the sources consulted, but internationally, the range is very wide” and surpass 20 billion euros.

Penalties and violations

Along with one smuggling offence and another animal abuse offence linked to the trafficking of protected species, nearly all of the criminal offences found in Spain were related to document falsification.

The Natural Heritage and Biodiversity Law, CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) regulations, companion animal regulations, and animal health and disease and infection regulations were the most prominent administrative infractions.

According to Commander González, the punishments meted out to criminals in this space “are still low, but they are increasing because they are often associated with other crimes such as document forgery,” and “an increase in penalties is expected in the short term.”

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Additionally, Operation Thunder has made it possible to identify wood shipments from countries like Russia and Burma that are forbidden because of their origin and EU regulations.

Operational Features

Among the noteworthy operations, Seprona reported recovering 32 species from under the seats and in the trunk of a car in Tenerife, including a gallipato, a Mexican orange-legged tarantula, and a tortoise.

During a check of a residence in Telde (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria), investigators found 31 other species, including pythons, enormous African snails, California garter snakes, yellow scorpions, and lizards.

18 internationally protected and endangered turtles were rescued by Guardia Civil officers in Alicante and taken to the Santa Faz Wildlife Recovery Centre.

A suitcase carrying 98 birds—both siskins and goldfinches, which are protected nationally—was discovered inside a car in Huelva.

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Costa Blanca

Two police officers injured by a distracted driver in Santa Pola

According to the official channels of the force, a severe road accident on Avenida del Mediterráneo in Gran Alacant, Santa Pola, has resulted in the injuries of numerous individuals, including two local police officers.

The accident occurred as a result of a distracted driver at the wheel, resulting in the car colliding with the police vehicle.

The images released show the significant impact suffered by the officers’ vehicle, as well as the frontal damage to the other vehicle involved.

No details have been released regarding the severity of the injuries of those involved, although a message of hope for a speedy recovery has been conveyed to the injured.


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Costa Blanca

Firefighters rescue driver trapped in car on Torrevieja seafront

Firefighters from the Torrevieja fire station rescued a woman after her vehicle plunged off the seafront promenade at 06:07 this morning; emergency personnel responded with the assistance of the local authorities.

The driver, a 79 year old woman of foreign nationality, was driving the vehicle along the promenade when it was involved in an accident. The vehicle plunged down the embankment, a drop of over half a metre and leads to the rocks in the heart of Torrevieja.

The victim was unable to exit the vehicle independently due to the door being obstructed by the rugged terrain, necessitating the arrival of firefighters to the scene. Medical services treated her for minor injuries following the rescue. Cars are only authorised on the promenade for residents.

The local authorities are currently conducting an investigation into the causes.

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Costa Blanca

Alicante couple arrested for trying to defraud lottery winner out of 40,000€ with a fake 6€ ticket

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In Alicante, National Police officers have arrested a 37-year-old man and a 42-year-old woman, who are purportedly involved in fraudulent activities. After successfully deceiving the proprietor into believing that the prize was only €6, the suspects attempted to cash in a lottery ticket valued at €40,000.

A citizen lodged a complaint alleging fraud, which prompted the investigation. She complained that she had acquired a lottery ticket and, the day following the drawing, visited a lottery kiosk to determine whether the ticket was eligible for a prize.

The seller informed her that the system was not functioning properly and that she could verify it using her mobile phone after verifying the ticket with the authorised ticket dispenser (POS). The vendor informed her that the ticket had a prize of six euros when she viewed it on the terminal.

For her part, the victim trusted the provided information and accepted the money without suspecting deception. At the same time, the seller retained the lottery ticket.

A few days later, the complainant discovered that the was infact worth 40,000 euros and that she had been deceived. She returned to the stand where she had checked the ticket to claim her prize, and the seller informed her that she was unaware of this and that she had thrown it in the bin.

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Then, she proceeded to the authorised offices of the aforementioned lottery drawings to report the incident. Upon his arrival, she was instructed to submit a complaint regarding the events.

The agents verified that the coupon was indeed a prize after collecting all the information. The saleswoman confirmed on three separate occasions that she had retained the coupon after deceiving the complainant about the prize amount.

The investigation phase also disclosed that the lottery ticket had been attempted to be redeemed by the seller’s ex-partner. However, this was not accomplished due to the fact that the authorised collection offices were aware of the incident and the agents had requested that the payment of the prize be blocked.

The officers were able to corroborate that the seller and the individual who attempted to cash in the winning ticket were both involved in a fraudulent activity as a result of the investigations.

The investigators’ findings confirmed that the two suspects had reached an agreement to collect the winning ticket. They also discovered that the woman, a lottery seller, had deceived them by faking the malfunction of the POS machine and falsely informing the complainant that the prize was six euros.

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Following the investigation and the collection of sufficient evidence to establish their involvement in the events, they were apprehended and charged with fraud.

The courts in Alicante were informed of the situation subsequent to the police investigation.


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