The operation commenced following an uptick in complaints and studies from vacationers about thefts and losses from their checked baggage. The victims have been passengers of varied nationalities. The detained workers exploited their airport roles, significantly in the course of the switch of bags to plane holds. They manipulated the tempo and spacing of bags dealing with, surreptitiously opened baggage contained in the maintain away from public view, and thoroughly resealed them post-theft to keep away from detection.
To additional keep away from suspicion, these employees strategically positioned suitcases as limitations close to the maintain entrance and even put in inflexible security curtains, purportedly for securing baggage however really aiding their legal actions.
This organized crime group was extremely structured, with members assigned particular roles: choosing flights, concealing stolen objects, smuggling them out of the airport, promoting them in jewellery shops or on-line, and distributing earnings. They used clothes with manually sewn inside seams and private lockers to cover the stolen items.
The Civil Guard’s searches on the airport, in private autos, and houses led to substantial recoveries: 29 high-end watches, 120 items of jewellery (together with gold and valuable stones), 22 high-end smartphones, different digital units, €13,000 in money, and a luxurious car. The entire worth of recovered stolen objects quantities to roughly €1.95 million. Moreover, many stolen objects had already been bought by bodily and digital second-hand shops, resulting in investigations into 27 jewelers in Santa Cruz de Tenerife province.
The investigation was carried out by the Airport Tenerife South’s Fiscal and Border Evaluation and Investigation Unit (UDAIFF), with help from the Citizen Safety Unit (USECIC). The Civil Guard collaborated with the State Aviation Security Company (AESA), Spanish Airports and Air Navigation (AENA), and varied airways working at Reina Sofía Airport.
The operation was overseen by Instruction Court docket No. 4 of Granadilla de Abona. For additional particulars, the Civil Guard’s Press Workplace in Santa Cruz de Tenerife will be contacted.
