ARCHIVED - VIDEO: British and Belgian expats living in Torrevieja arrested for stealing motorbikes in Murcia and Alicante
The trio are accused of a spate of thefts of motorcycles and vehicle parts across southeast Spain
Two Brits and a Belgian have been arrested on suspicion of stealing mopeds and motorcycles in Alicante and Murcia.
Spanish police have been monitoring an increase in thefts of motorcycles around Torrevieja and the Vega Baja del Segura since last November, and initially focused their investigation, codenamed ‘Operation Foraneo’, on a 22-year-old British resident in Torrevieja.
The suspect, during the investigation phase and in the presence of agents, did not hesitate to leave the area where he was at high speed, putting road users at risk.
Police located two of the stolen motorcycles right at the door of the suspect’s family home, and when they undertook surveillance on the house they saw that a large number of young people were going in and out with motorcycles and mopeds.
On November 26, 2022, a search was carried out at the home, resulting in the arrest of the suspect and his mother, a 42-year-old British woman, who “provided logistical support” to the criminal operation, according to police sources.
Police recovered 11 motorcycles, some at the home and others parked in different streets in the province of Alicante, as well as motor vehicle parts, license plates and documentation.
Even after these arrests, investigators continued with the operation as they were aware of the existence of more members of the gang who were getting rid of stolen objects that they still had in their possession and which had been stolen in Torrevieja, Guardamar del Segura, Elche, Santa Pola, Orihuela, Alicante city and Murcia city.
On February 10, 2023, in a new phase of the operation, the young man was arrested again in the town of Torrevieja, as well as another 18-year-old Belgian national involved in the thefts.
In addition, a 45-year-old Spanish woman and two minors, who were used by the gang to place the stolen material on the black market, were investigated at the premises of the Civil Guard in Torrevieja. As a result of this new phase of the operation, 10 more motorcycles and stolen vehicle parts were recovered.
Between them, the members of the gang – some of whom have a police record – have been charged with 35 crimes against property, one crime of false documentation, one crime of reckless driving and one crime of driving without ever having obtained a driver’s license, in addition to the crime of belonging to a criminal group.
All 21 vehicles have been returned to their rightful owners up and down the Costa Blanca and Costa Cálida, while the suspects have been granted release with “precautionary measures” from a Torrevieja Court. The investigation continues, however, and police are not ruling more arrests.
Images: Guardia Civil
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