A massive network that transported stolen cars in Africa is brought down.
The vehicles arrived in Gambia by sea from strategic points in Catalonia, Huesca and Almería.
BarcelonaIn 2023, the police detected an increase in thefts of the same car model, an Asian sports car. The following year, reports of theft of this type of vehicle rose to 137 in Catalonia alone, and at the beginning of this year, 118 more were already registered. The Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) realized that the interest in this specific model and the disappearance of passenger cars was no coincidence. And this Wednesday, the Catalan security force and the Customs Surveillance Service of the Catalan Tax Agency explained that the whole thing was organized by a group that stole vehicles throughout the country, and also in Aragon, Andalusia, and France, and sent them hidden in large scrap containers to make them difficult to detect. The destination? Gambia.
Police arrested nine men between the ages of 19 and 53 who were part of a group dedicated to car smuggling. Although the investigation is still open and the police do not rule out more arrests, for the moment it has been possible to demonstrate that these people acted within the framework of an organization with a modus operandi Of course. Once they had identified the car, they accessed it by activating a system that made it believe it was being unlocked with the original key. They then moved the vehicles to a rented warehouse outside the city center and subsequently hid them inside shipping containers. Finally, they mostly set sail for Africa.
On July 22, the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) located a dozen stolen vehicles in an industrial warehouse in Girona. The goal was to quickly introduce them to the illegal market and reach the port of Banjul, Gambia. This was confirmed by officers from the Girona Criminal Investigation Division (DIC), who were able to link them to the cargo of a container that arrived at the port of Barcelona, crossed the sea, and arrived in Tangier. In this specific case, Interpol and the Moroccan police stopped their arrival on the African continent. Police officers searched the warehouse and found four vehicles that were reported as stolen in La Ràpita, Roses, and France.
A two-pronged investigation team
These thefts were not only investigated in Girona, but similar incidents were also being investigated in Lleida. This led to the discovery of a highly active and professional infrastructure behind the theft, which modified or removed vehicle registration marks, such as the chassis, license plate, and technical documentation. However, the main logistics center was not in Catalonia, but in an industrial estate in Huércal-Overa (Almería). The stolen vehicles were shipped there, which were loaded into maritime containers, usually on weekends and holidays, to avoid inspections.
After the initial discovery on July 22, a few weeks later investigators detected four containers suspected of transporting illicit goods at the headquarters of the company under surveillance. Upon verification, they located fifteen vehicles of the same make and model that were reported as stolen. They had a market value of €300,000. Following this discovery, on the same day and with the collaboration of the National Police, they arrested three people aged 32, 44, and 53 at the identified warehouse in Almería.
The officers confirmed the network's extensive logistical capabilities after locating some members in various locations across Spain. A vacant lot in Riudellots de la Selva (Selva) or a warehouse in Monzón (Huesca), for example, served as storage sites for vehicles before loading them into containers and shipping them mainly to the ports of Barcelona, Castellón, and Valencia. Despite the initial exploitation of the case, twenty days later, investigators received notification of a new logistical order with details similar to the containers. During this new inspection, officers located two more vehicles that had been stolen in Balaguer and Lleida.
All those arrested were brought before a court, along with one other person arrested on October 2 in Manresa in connection with the same incidents. They are accused of more than 40 car thefts, one count of international vehicle smuggling, and one count of belonging to a criminal organization.
